


Read Between the Lines

by SnowWight



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Barista Rey (Star Wars), Businessman Ben Solo, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Leia Organa Ships It, Past Finn/Rose Tico, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:47:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29074317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowWight/pseuds/SnowWight
Summary: Rey Himel owns a bookstore/coffeshop in the busy city of Niima--a gathering spot for her and her oldest friends. Her quiet routine is interrupted, though, when the most imposing man she's ever seen takes up the corner of her cafe, and inserts himself into her friend group. Is Ben Solo being completely honest about his intention? Or is his interest in the coffee business hide an ulterior motive?
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 5
Kudos: 63
Collections: Ijustfellintothissendhelp





	1. Chapter 1

Sometimes, Rey didn’t even make it upstairs from her bookstore to her apartment—she would just lock the doors of her bookstore-slash-café, and nestle in a comfy armchair, falling asleep with her orange tabby, Baby, curled up at her feet. She had spent all of her adult life working to create a safe haven in her bookstore, making her own oasis in a quiet corner of Niima, and she didn’t really like to leave. 

On Wednesday morning, Rey woke before the sunlight and unlocked the doors, opening the shades on the window. The light of the street lamps still on in the street outside filtered through the frosted-over glass and fell on the hidden reading nooks she had scattered around the store. Baby dutifully followed her around the store at her heels, butting her with his head and mewing at intervals. 

“It’s a cold morning out, love,” Rey told her cat, “There’s frost on the cars.” She went into the kitchen at the back of the shop, and Baby followed, leaping up on a shelving unit to watch Rey work, licking his feet delicately. When Rey had first bought this storefront on this downtrodden street, she had decided to call it Sunshine, because that was what she wanted her store to be to the surrounding area--a beacon of sunshine for the street, and for her customers. Maybe it was a little too aspirational, but Rey liked to believe that her shop lived up to its name. 

Rey began to pull together simple pastry batters—it wasn’t difficult, to get a few doughs started, so she would have a few muffins to sell during the morning rush. She should outsource the work to a local baker; as it was, she didn’t make nearly enough for all of this work, but she didn’t want to let any part of her shop go to other people. Sunshine was her baby, and outsourcing would feel like cutting off her baby's foot. Not really, but it would feel like she was giving parts of her soul to someone else. She put a tray of muffins in the oven, and looked at her inventory left over from yesterday. A little stale, but Rey would still eat it. 

From the front of the shop, the bell tinkled against the door, and Rey’s earliest and most regular customer blew into the shop on a gust of cold wind. “Morning, beautiful,” Poe Dameron said, pushing a curl off of his forehead. “Got anything for me?” 

“Morning, Poe!” Rey smiled and brushed her still sleep-knotted hair up in bun, calling into the main room from over the kitchen counter. “How was work?” 

Poe groaned and shrugged, flopping down into the chair that Rey had slept in. “The usual. Nothing exciting happens on the dock after one am. Or, ever, really.” 

Rey smiled at her friend. Poe came into the shop with an ulterior motive, just to vent about his job and get one last hit of caffeine, but Rey didn’t mind. “I’m just putting the first pot on. Do you want a blueberry muffin?” 

Poe turned in his chair to smile through the kitchen window at her. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and he was still bundled up in his scarf. “That would be a miracle.” 

Rey moved through her morning routine in the kitchen, the hum of the coffee pots mixing with the smell of baked goods, filling up the room. She poured two mugs of coffee and grabbed two of the stale muffins. Balancing the mugs in each hand, she walked slowly out of the kitchen, offering one mug to Poe, before sitting on an ottoman in front of him. Poe smiled at her gratefully. 

“Has the newspaper come yet?” Poe was barely able to keep his eyes open. He wrapped both of his hands around his mug of coffee, the steam washing over his face. 

Rey laughed lightly. Poe claimed he would never read a novel, but he know that was all Rey would sell. “Still too early for that, as always. You’re the only one who would read it, anyways. I’m still slogging my way through this Murakami—” She leaned over and pulled the gargantuan novel off the table, the muscles in her arm straining, just from picking up the monster of a book one-handed.

“I thought you loved that guy, you’ve been reading him for like, a month and a half!” 

“I just feel like I need to finish a bunch of his books so I’m able to talk about them honestly, you know?” Rey rested the book on her knees, using it to rest her food on. “IQ84 is just, sort of … “ she waved her hand in the air “… sort of fucked up.” 

Poe laughed. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could start, the door opened again, and Rey’s best friend, dressed neatly in a long wool jacket over a suit and tie, walked in, bringing a blast of the cold winter air into the shop with him. Poe took one look at Finn and sunk into his chair, his cheeks turning a bright red. 

“Morning, Poe,” Finn said, his smile bright. He didn't notice how flustered Poe always got around him. “Rey, how are you?” 

“Same as always,” Rey said, and she beamed, putting her coffee and food and book down on the table so she could jump up to hug Finn. “You smell so nice! New cologne?” 

“Yeah, well,” Finn laughed, “My mom said it was on sale.” 

Rey smiled and stepped away. “Well, you smell handsome. Want your usual?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and he smiled at Rey before settling in a chair next to Poe. “How are you doing, Dameron? Rough night?” 

Rey stepped into the kitchen, kissing Baby lightly on the head, listening only slightly to Poe stammer his way through a few sentences. Poe, was absolutely terrible at hiding the massive crush he had on Finn, but Finn was so lovely and so oblivious that Rey doubted the man even noticed Poe’s complete inability to speak around him. She packed espresso into the portafilter, and frothed milk as she listened to their gentle conversation. She doodled on the paper cup as she waited, adding a heart in milk to the top of Finn’s latte. 

“Do you have any plans for this weekend?” She asked Finn as she came back to where they both were sitting, “Poe told me that he was going to be checking out that new exhibit in the that art museum downtown? That small one, that's next to the fountain and by that pizza place.” 

Poe had done nothing of the sort, and he shot Rey the nastiest look he could muster over his shoulder. Recovering beautifully, though, he turned back to Finn. “Yeah, uh, you’re welcome to come if you want, I’d be happy to have the company.” 

Finn smiled, surprised; taken aback at Poe’s offer. “I’ll let you know if I’m free when I see you tomorrow morning, if you’re around? I’ll check my calendar when I get to work—we’ll figure something out!” 

“Oh, alright.” Poe awkwardly took a sip of his coffee, and Rey stifled a laugh behind her hand. “I’m trying to get into art, you know, I don’t know too much about it, but—”

“That’s awesome! I’m always trying to learn new things, but you know, it’s so hard to learn about stuff and to get into new worlds, sometimes it feels like you’re learning a whole new language—” Finn spoke animatedly, and Rey could tell that Poe was staring at Finn, entranced. 

Finn had been Rey’s closest friend since high school, and he was clerking at a law firm now, but he still always had time for Rey. If Rey had her way, Finn would be making time for Poe too. Everyone deserved to date someone who looked at them the way Poe looked at Finn.

Finn soon made his excuses, and he pulled his coat on over his shoulders, promising Poe that he would check his calendar as soon as he got into the office. He blew a kiss at Rey as he swept outside into the graying morning, leaving behind the smell of his cologne and the impression of his cheerful smile. 

“Oooooh, look who has a date!” Rey wiggled her fingers at her friend, fanning her face with her other hand. "Poe and Finn, kissing in a tree, K-I--"

“Oh, fuck off! I know shit all about art, what if he actually wants to go with me to an art museum. Rey! What if he thinks that it’s you and me going together, and he’s invited as a tag-along, and when he shows up, you won’t be there!” Poe was absolutions groaning with anxiety, and Rey couldn’t help but to laugh. 

“Listen, he’s Finn, even if he doesn’t realize that he just got asked on a date, he’ll be delighted to spend time with you, there’s no need to worry-“

“There is every need to worry. Rey Himel, you have just set me up for a lifetime of embarrassment—”

Rey pulled a finished tray of muffins out of the oven and let them rest on the countertop, putting in a second tray. “I have not, Poe Dameron. You are charming and lovely and I believe that if I can convince you and Finn to date that you will live a happy and long life full of houseplants and coming to visit me at the crack of dawn every morning. Now go to bed, you’ve been awake for too long.” 

“Fuck me, that’s the truth.” Poe slammed his coffee mug down on the counter. “What do I owe you?” 

“On the house. Getting to play *Emma* is more than enough for me,” Rey winked, and Poe rolled his eyes, leaving her and Baby to finish up the rest of the morning’s chores and deal with the customers that had begun trickling into the shop. 

Most of Rey’s customers were businesspeople who dressed very nicely, who worked downtown, and who spoke on their cellphones the entire time. Rey did know a few by name and was able to get orders ready before a few of her favorite customers had even come into the shop. Mostly, though, the people who passed through this part of town at this time in the morning were all similarly grumpy and unpleasant, and Rey was stretched thin trying to make sure they were all happy. Baby watched Rey struggle from his perch on a bookshelf, licking his paws with a special aloofness. 

As the sky outside the window lightened, the pale gray of the pre-dawn melting into the rose of morning, Rey’s own Rose bustled into the shop, the tip of her nose red from the cold. She had shoved rainbow butterfly barrels into her hair at random, making her hair stand out in all directions. “Morning!” Rose said, hustling around the line and shedding layers as she went, pulling on her apron as she joined Rey behind the counter. “I’m so sorry I’m late, I just woke up this morning and it was so cold, I couldn’t get out of bed, I fell right back to sleep—”

Rey laughed, although she couldn't tell how much of her amusement was genuine. Rose was more a friend than an employee, so Rey was more forgiving than she ought to be, but her arms and feet were already aching. “I expected nothing less, you lazy bones. Will you go and check in the kitchen, and then help me catch up on these orders? The real rush is about to hit, and I want to be ready—” 

Rose snapped to attention, and ran back into the kitchen, her apron strings still flying out behind her. For all her faults, Rose was another person who made Rey’s heart a little lighter. 

Rose and Finn had dated in high school and had broken up and gotten back together more than a couple of times in college—a whirlwind of emotions that still hurt Rey’s head just to think about. Things between them were mostly amicable now, even after the romance had ended, and Rey was happy to still be able to count on both of them as friends, even if they weren’t always the best when stuck in the same room. 

“Lovely place you’ve got here,” the little old woman in front of Rey said, breaking her out of her revere. “I can tell that everything has been made with love.” 

“I’m so glad you can tell, ma’am,” Rey told her, ringing up her order. "Would you like a muffin to go with that?" 

Around nine in the morning, Rey looked up from cleaning the grinds out of the espresso machine to find herself face-to-face with the biggest man she had ever seen. He wasn’t overweight, at least not that Rey could tell, but he was BIG. Hs hands, splayed over Rey’s counter, were big; his shoulders, obscuring all of Rey’s vision, were big; his hair was voluminous, his nose was large, his eyes were dark and dangerous, his lips were—“Can I help you?” Rey squeaked. 

“Yeah, uh—” the man was reading the menu board above Rey’s head, his lips parted, his eyes focused. “Get me a, uh, dirty chai, a dark roast, and a latte to start, all a medium—” 

“Excuse you?” 

The man blinked at her and looked down, startled. “My order. I want a—” 

“No, I heard you. Usually, though, I treat my customers with respect, and they treat me the same way. But, you wanted a dirty chai, dark roast, and a latte, all medium. Sure thing.” Rey swallowed her nerves, and without breaking eye contact, scribbled the orders on the paper cups, passing them behind her to Rose. “That’ll be sixteen thirty-five. Cash, or credit?” 

The man smiled, small and unexpected, like he'd just heard a joke, and he pulled a thick wallet out from his back pocket. He rifled through the billfold and pulled out the exact change. He stuffed a couple of dollar bills into the tip jar too, before looking back at Rey. “Noted,” he said. His voice was warm and deep and shook Rey down to her toes. He leaned against the counter casually, like this wasn't a business where other people shopped. “What’s the management like around here?” 

What? “I’m the management,” Rey bristled, and then then bit her bottom lip. It figured that someone this handsome had to be such an absolute ass. “Anything else?”

“You own this place?” The large man looked at her, impressed, which somehow frustrated Rey even more. “Have you read all of these books?” 

“What? Of course not? That’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve—this is a bookstore! I mean, I read, I’m not illiterate, but—” Rey could feel the color rising in her cheeks. “I can read!” She protested feebly. 

The man looked at her, and Rey couldn’t read the emotion crossing his eyes. “Of course,” he said, almost as though he was talking slowly, to a child. He stood up and put his hands in his pocket, the laptop bag hanging off his shoulder banging against his thigh. “I am going to wait down at the end of the counter, now.” 

“Good, thank you. I’ll have the next customer—” but there were no customers waiting behind the large man, who was leaning idly on the lip of the window ledge between the bookstore and the café. Rey couldn’t help but notice the way his hair fell over his eyes, the curve of his nose, the way his dark clothes were fitted so nicely to his body—

Rey coughed and turned around, so she wasn't staring at him anymore. Out of the corner of her eye, though, Rey watched the large man pick up all of his coffees, one in each hand and another in the crook of his arm. He crossed the bookstore and settled himself in an armchair near the window, lining the cups up on the windowsill. He pulled out a phone and buried his nose In it, the screen casting a pale glow over his face. 

“You’re totally staring,” Rose said, sneaking up on Rey. Rose crossed her arms on the counter, resting her chin on the back of her arm, so that her cheek was resting against Rey's side. “Who is he?”

“He’s a real ass, is who he is,” Rey said, rolling her eyes, the counter digging into the small of her back. “He asked me who was in charge—”

“I mean, what, in like a Karen sort of way? Like, all, 'Who's your manager!?'” 

“No! Just, I guess he wanted to know who was in charge. That was fucking weird. And then he asked me if I read every book in the store—”

“Have you?”

“No! But I can read!”

“What?” Rose looked at Rey, confused. “I never said that you couldn’t, I just know that you really like books.” 

Rey rolled her eyes and slouched against the counter. “He doesn’t know that.” 

Rose laughed. “He is hot, though. Let me work cash register tomorrow, I want to see if I can get his number if he comes back.” She mimed flipping her short hair. “Because damn, I’d pretend not to know how to read if he would be my teacher—” 

“Rose!” Rey swatted at her friend’s arm. “No.” 

“What?” Rose giggled. “He keeps looking over here, I think he already likes me.” 

Rey’s gut twisted. She elbowed Rose slightly. “I’m on register tomorrow,” she said, biting her bottom lip. “Let me protect your virtue.” 

Rose laughed, the happy sound loud in the subdued bookstore. “Or, put yours in danger. Alright, I see what you’re up to.” She winked, and Rey turned redder. The two girls stood together until the next wave of people crashed on the coffee shop. 

***

The large man sat in the corner of the shop for well into the lunch rush, and around two, Rey wanted to go over and ask him to leave or buy something else, but she was enjoying watching him just as much as she was enjoying pretending not to watch him. She still had to bus the tables though, and she straightened her bun before she took the tub over to an empty table by the window. 

The table had been left full of crumbs, even part of a muffin, and Rey began sweeping the table with a napkin, trying to get most of the mess off. She would have to come back with some cleaning spray or something, they had gotten a chocolate chip melted onto the chocolate. As she worked, Baby climbed up on the table and began sniffing the mess, his whiskers twitching over the crumbs. “Baby, no, go somewhere else,” Rey said, pushing at him lightly with her elbow. 

Baby mewed quietly, opening his mouth so that Rey could see all of his teeth. 

“You shouldn’t be eating muffins, you know that.” Rey, stood, the napkin wadded in her hand, “You’ll get even fatter than you already are, Baby.” 

“I’m sorry?” 

Rey turned, startled, to find that the large man had been watching her intently. 

“I’m sorry, were you talking to me?” The man asked again, and Rey felt like she might faint. 

“Oh, no sorry, my cat—he’s called Baby. Well, actually, he’s Baron Beaufort the Eighth, but we just call him B.B., and now he’s just called Baby.” She felt herself trip over her own words, especially under the stranger’s intense gaze. 

“You let him wander around the store?” 

Rey felt defensive again. “He doesn’t go in the kitchen. He just likes to curl up in armchairs. And, I guess, steal food when I’m not looking.” 

“Huh. Do customers like having him around?” 

“I mean---” Rey bent down and picked up the tabby in her arms, supporting his bum with her other arm. “He’s sort of a love, as long as you give him food and don't interrupt him while he's napping. Want to pet him?” 

“Oh, uh, sure.” 

Rey brought Baby over to him, and the man gave Baby an awkward scratch on the head, before nodding. “Isn’t he a sweetheart?” Rey asked. Baby mewed loudly in response. 

The large man smiled hesitantly. “Very. Uh.” He nodded. “I’m Ben.”

“Ben! That’s lovely,” Rey smiled, and stuck out her hand, moving Baby in her arms so that he was cuddled in her elbow. “I’m Rey.” She bounced on her toes for a few seconds, trying to think of something to say. "I'm the one you talked to earlier, and all." 

Ben nodded, very slowly. “Yeah.” 

“Alright then, sorry for bothering you.” Rey turned to go, but Ben called her back.

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. Um, do you, uh, serve lunch sandwiches?” His voice was rough, and he sounded like he was surprised to hear himself talking.

Rey shook her head. “No. I make everything in the mornings when I wake up, and as of right now, I don’t have enough time for sandwiches. Sorry about that.” 

“Wait—you and Rose are the only people who work here?”

“Well, local bookstores aren’t exactly profitable, are they?” Rey laughed. “Really, this place is a total labor of love. I mean, the money helps, but there’s not really a lot of it.” 

“You seem pretty busy, though,” Ben said, gesturing at the tables and armchairs that were all mostly occupied. “People have been coming in all morning.” 

“Well, a lot of people come in, buy a coffee, and sit.” Rey said, and she tried to keep her voice light. “Not a lot of people buy books, or—” She cleared her throat, hoping her comment wasn’t too pointed. “You know.” 

“Right.” Ben looked at the table in front of him, and at his collection of empty cups. “Should have thought of that.” 

Rey shrugged, and tucked Baby’s head under her chin. “That’s alright. You seem like nice enough company when you aren't questioning my knowledge of books.” 

“Ah—I wasn’t questioning that, I’m sorry.” 

Rey gave Baby a light kiss on the forehead and let him free on the floor, where he ran for sanctuary among the stacks. “It’s alright. It’s just a sore subject. I mean, there are some books here I haven’t read because, just between me and you, they’re absolute trash. And sometimes, I find adult fiction pretentious—” she swept the crumbs from the table onto her hand, wiping it off into the tub, and stacked the saucers on top of each other delicately. “And Poe says I would be smarter if I would read nonfiction, but I refuse—let me die dumb, if it means never having to read a dry ass biography in my life, you know?” 

“Poe? Does he—do they—work here too?” 

Rey shook her head. She couldn’t read the expression on Ben’s face. Pure curiosity, or interest for a different reason? “Nope,” she said, collecting all the mugs on her index finger. “Just a friend.” She leaned the tub on her hip. “If you need any science fiction recommendations, though, let me know, I’m full of those.” Smiling as nicely as she could, she swept up to the front of the house, dropping the tub full of dirty dishes off at the kitchen sink. 

By the time she returned to the register, Ben’s corner was completely empty—his cups were gone, his table was clean, and his massive form was nowhere to be seen. “Well, B,” Rey sadly told the cat who wound between her ankles, “I guess he wasn’t a big fan of sci-fi.” 

***

Ben had spent far too long in Sunshine, sitting in the corner table while he was supposed to be watching the customers come in and out of the shop and testing coffee quality. That was what he had set out to do, at any rate. Sunshine had been on his radar since the corporate office had ordered him to do a survey of the businesses in the area surrounding their prospective site for StarKiller Coffee. 

So far, the west side of Niima had escaped without a StarKiller Coffee franchise in the area, and Ben had doubted that such a venture would be profitable—but seeing the business that Sunshine had attached, he had no doubt that a franchise would do very well in the area. He checked his phone. Hux had sent him at text requesting he check his email. Jesus. He would check his email when he checked his email. 

Ben shoved his phone angrily back into his pocket, and didn’t break his stride as he swept down the street, joggers jumping to the side to avoid him. 

Sunshine coffee. How quickly would that place go out of business? There were obviously some regulars around the place, but the woman--Rey--had said that business was barely profitable as it was. Unconsciously, Ben shot a look over his shoulder. She had been uncommonly talkative, like she was nervous, but she had come over specifically to talk to Ben. She had walked right up to him, hadn’t found him intimidating at all. And that cat—with an internal cringe, Ben was forced to remember his mistake. Why would she have called him Baby? 

He shook his head, his hair falling in his face. Couldn’t think about that, it was too embarrassing. 

His phone rang as he swept down the street, and he dug it out of his pocket, not even checking the caller ID as he answered the call. “What?” he growled. 

“Did you check my email?’ Hux’s voice was tinny and pathetic at he other end of the line. 

“No, I’m just leaving the store now—”

“How are you just leaving the store? How long does it take to count the amount of customers that come in during the hour? If you were fucking off work—” 

“I was not fucking off work, Jesus, Hux—you forget, I’m the one in charge of this project, not you, and I don’t appreciate you constantly calling in to check up on me and tell me what to do. When you become my boss, you can call me all you want, but as of right now, you’re several promotions behind me.” 

Hux’s voice was whiny on the other end of the phone. “I’m in a different department—”

“Good, then stop telling me how to run mine. Is there anything important you wanted to tell me, or did you call me just to micromanage me?” A woman with a baby carriage moved out of Ben’s way, and he kept moving forward, barely registering the frightened look on her face. 

“It would just be useful to know how much longer you'll be in this reconnaissance stage—we need to move fairly quickly if we’re going to purchase the building space and renovate it before July—”

“I know, Huxtable, I will get back to you when I have my final answer.” Ben did have his final answer, really. The empty space just down the street from Sunshine would be the best place in Niima to build a franchise, but Ben couldn’t bring himself to give a go-ahead on the purchase, to doom Sunshine like that. There was no reason to not give Hux the green light—but—He stopped in the middle fo the sidewalk, and ran his hand through his hair. “I’ll send you my answer on Monday, after the weekend. Don’t text me tomorrow or Sunday, I swear to God.” 

“Monday? Christ, fuck me, alright.” Ben could hear some shuffling in the background. Waiting the weekend wouldn't fuck Hux's plans entirely, Hux would just be pissy about it. 

“And did you hear me? Don’t fucking text me. Don’t text me to tell me you emailed me, don’t text me to tell me you’re going to call me, don’t you dare—“

“I wouldn’t have to if you wouldn’t dawdle,” Hux said, and he hung up the phone, the dial tone acting as punctuation. 

Ben rolled his eyes and shoved his phone in his pocket, making his way to his apartment on the east side of the city. It was late enough in the day that he was passing schoolchildren making their way home, the screech of yellow buses adding to the cacophony that was the typical city soundscape. Ben really had spent too long sitting in the corner of the coffeeshop. He hadn’t let time slip away from him like that in years. 

He shook his head and pushed into the front lobby of his building, making directly for the elevator, which took him all the way to the top. His position as head of acquisition and franchise development at StarKiller Coffee for the greater Jakku area paid him more than enough to get a place outside of the city, but there was something to being able to step out of the front door of his building and be right where everything was happening. 

Not that Ben often went out. He unlocked his apartment and toed his shoes off at the door, throwing his jacket over the back of the couch. The windows of his apartment went from floor to ceiling, providing an excellent view of the street, and the traffic, below. Everything else in the combined kitchen-living area was white and clean, looking just like it had come off of the showroom floor. Not a bit of clutter anywhere. It made the echoes of his footsteps on the tile just that much louder. 

He went into the kitchen and pulled out things for a sandwich, setting it all out on the counter. Rey should really look into investing in an outside food vendor—it would draw in a larger crowd for lunch time, and maybe she wouldn’t have to work herself ragged. 

Not that Ben should be helping her build up her business, especially when she would probably have to shut it down within the next few months. He didn’t want to think about that, though. He sliced his sandwich in half neatly, and set it on a plate, bringing it over to his laptop, which he flipped open and found his most recent excel sheet. 

Even as he idly checked his email, he found himself wondering--What time would Sunshine open tomorrow? 

***

Poe was waiting outside Sunshine before Rey had even had the chance to come down from her apartment, his hands stuck in the sleeve of his jackets as he bounced up and down in the cold. “Dameron, you’re a little too early,” Rey told him, as she unlocked the door of the shop from the outside. “Did you run all the way here from work?” 

“Look at who finally made her way into an actual bed last night,” Poe teased back, pulling his scarf up over his nose. “Managed to pull away from your beloved books for just one night?” 

“I read in bed, I’ll have you know,” Rey said, pushing open the door and allowing her friend to enter ahead of her. Baby scampered in after Poe, desperately upset that Rey had forced him out into the cold. 

“And I’m sure that’s all you do in bed,” Poe winked, and he threw himself down in their usual armchair. “Ms. Nothing-But-Books.”

“What? Have you been talking to Rose?” 

“No, what happened?” Poe didn’t know Rose very well, and he didn’t like her very much either. “Did she and Finn get back together?” 

“No.” Rey laughed. “Is that why you’re here so early? Anxious to hear if Poe is free this weekend?” 

“Shut up.” Poe unlaced his boots and put his socked feet up on the ottoman. “Can I get a cup of coffee?” 

“I don’t think you need any more caffeine in you, you're already bouncing off my walls,” Rey teased, moving into the kitchen, and turning on the oven, moving through her usual morning routine. She could do it in her sleep by now, really. 

The bell on the front door rang out brightly, and from her place in the kitchen, Rey heard the rustle of fabric and someone stepped into her shop. 

“Morning, darling!” She called out, her arms in the cabinet as she pulled out the coffee grinds and the flour. “Do you want your usual? Also, Poe is desperate to know if you’re free this weekend, he doesn’t want to go to the exhibit alone—”

She heard some muttering out in the front room, and laughed, hoping that Poe hadn’t sunk entirely into his seat. Dropping everything on the counter, she went out to the register, just to find—

Ben’s hulking form in the doorway, and Poe staring at Rey, his eyes wide. 

“I’m sorry, do you—” Ben cleared his throat. “Do you have another cat called Darling?” 

“Shit—no, sorry. Um, I thought you were my friend. Ben, this is Poe; Poe, this is Ben. I didn’t expect to see you back here so soon.” Rey forced a smile, but really, she wanted to curl up in embarrassment behind the counter and never ever stand up again. 

“Are you open?” Ben asked, still standing awkwardly in the doorway. "It said on your website, but I couldn't tell, because it's just--" 

“Nah, it's open, come sit.” Poe gestured to the armchair next to him. “No one bur me and Finn ever come in this early, we’re the only one crazy enough to be up this early, I guess.” 

“Do you want, uh, coffee?” Rey’s voice sounded too loud to her own ears, and a fuzzy sound rung in her ears as Ben took off his jacket, his arms stretching his shirt to its fullest extent as he pulled the material up over his head. And was that a sliver of stomach? Rey thought she might faint. She clutched the side of the counter as hard as she could. 

“I would love some, thank you. Uh—” Ben drifted off, and Rey realized he was wondering if he was being asked to order something or not. Instead of giving him time to figure it out, she disappeared back into the kitchen, and put a simple pot on. She didn’t want to have to make a dirty chai this early in the morning. 

And she didn’t want to have to keep making eye contact with Ben. 

She pulled together three mugs of coffee and doused them all with milk, hustling the mugs out to the two men who were sitting awkwardly, and silently, next to each other. Ben clearly had expected Sunshine to be full of customers—he hadn’t expected to be forced to interact with Rey and her friends personally. Rey cringed with the awkwardness of it all. 

“Muffins?” Poe asked, caught up in his own problems. 

“Oh, right. You pig,” Rey said, going back into the kitchen to grab some of yesterday’s unsold goods. “I really shouldn’t have given you any coffee, I think you tricked me.” 

“Do you have a heart condition?” Ben asked, his voice a low rumble, his fingers wrapped around his mug as he held the coffee close to his face.

Poe shook his head. “Just anxious. That’s a weird fucking question though, to ask a total stranger—”

“Poe, be polite,” Rey dropped a stale muffin on his lap, and he unwrapped it eagerly, “Ben is my guest. and honestly, if he wasn't here to stop you from bothering me, I might kill you myself. Poe is waiting to see if he has a date this weekend,” Rey said, smiling at Ben as she settled on the ottoman, shoving Poe’s feet off of it. “He’s been waiting on this date for about six months, but he hasn’t had the balls to ask.” 

“Unfair! I only see him for like fifteen minutes in the morning—” 

“Do you come here every morning?” Again, Ben’s voice was unexpectedly deep, and he watched Poe with a genuine interest. Rey’s heart warmed, watching how seriously the man took Poe. Most people overlooked him, but Ben wasn’t making the same mistake. 

“Oh, yeah, right after work. Except the weekends.” Poe wiped coffee off his top lip. “Does Finn come in on the weekends?” he asked Rey, like the thought had just occurred to him.

Rey shrugged. “Sometimes, when he knows Rose isn’t here. Finn doesn’t like being in small spaces with Rose,” Rey told Ben, trying to make sure his head wasn’t spinning with all the introductions of these new names. “They dated, it didn’t end well.” 

“You all are a friend group?”

Poe raised his hand lazily. “I’m a new addition, I don’t know Rose that well—” 

“—and he doesn’t want to—”

“Fuck off, I’m sure she’s lovely, I’m just—anyways. I wanted a place to get a snack after work, and-“

“And he wound up with a place to find a *snack*,” Rey said, wiggling her eyebrows and her shoulders suggestively. 

“I said fuck off-“ Poe said, but he was interrupted by a low rumbling coming from Ben. 

“I’m sorry, but,” Ben made the sound again, and Rey realized he was laughing, sort of a mix between a cough and a hum, all the way down from his chest. “I’m sorry but you two are the funniest I’ve ever met—”

“Oh, good, I’m glad someone takes joy from how miserable she makes me,” Poe faked outrage, sending Rey into a fit of giggles. 

Ben smiled, a genuine smile that transformed him from a large customer to the most beautiful man Rey had ever seen. Looking at his smile, at the way his eyes sparkled in the low light, Ben was unbelievably handsome. Rey’s breath caught in his throat just watching him. 

“What?” he said, noticing her gaze. “Do I have something on my nose?” 

“No, no, you’re fine.” Rey smiled, and ducked her head so she was looking only at her coffee mug, and not at the man in front of her. “So, why did you drop by so early? Or did you say?” 

“Oh, yeah. I just realized you hadn’t given me your recommendations yesterday. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to pick up a couple?” 

“Of course!” Rey jumped up so quick she almost spilled her drink. “Wait right here, I have the perfect ones for you, wait right here.” She wiggled past them and went into the stacks. She already knew right where the books she wanted to give Ben were located, she’d been thinking about it all night. 

*The Three-Body Problem*, *The Ashes of Worlds*, *Red Mars*. Rey scooped up the thick novels and balanced them against her waist. Political intrigue and sci-fi—not too fantastic, and full of political intrigue. Rey brought her collection over the Ben just as Finn came in through the door, flushed and sweating. 

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, and he did a double take to see Ben sitting where he would normally be. “Who’re you?”

“I’m Ben. Ben Solo.” Ben rose out of the chair to shake Finn’s hand, endearingly formal. “You must be Finn.” 

“Uh, yeah." Finn awkwardly shook Ben's hand, then looked to Rey. "Morning, Sunshine.” 

“Morning Finn!” Rey dumped her stack of books into Ben’s lap, who caught them with a soft groan. “We have an unexpected guest! I’ll pull up another seat for myself, if you’re staying.”

“I can’t, not for long, I’m already late. Poe, hey.” Finn leaned against Poe’s chair and managed a smile, even though he was puffing for breath. “Are you free this Saturday afternoon? For that art exhibit thing.”

“Oh, yeah, of course! Saturday afternoon sounds great!” Poe sounded as though he was over the moon, sitting up out of his sweat, his entire face glowing. 

“You’re invited too, of course,” Finn said to Ben, awkwardly noticing how intently he was watching the conversation between Finn and Poe. “If you’re now friendly enough to be in our morning coffee group, you’re close enough to hang out with us, if you want—” 

“Oh, no, no, it’s okay—I—”

“He doesn’t need to come,” Poe said, his voice taking on a desperate tone, his face that had been, just moments before, the picture of happiness, now collapsing into a frown; “I only just met him, he’s Rey’s friend—”

“That’s great!” Finn smiled brightly. “Rey, you’ll come too, right? You can shut down the shop for tomorrow afternoon, it’s just one day.”

“Oh, I mean—" Rey looked at Ben, who was uncomfortably looking between Finn and Poe. “If Ben is coming, I’ll come, but otherwise, I wouldn’t want to be any sort of third wheel.”

“You wouldn’t!” Finn slapped her in the arm companionably. “Are you down, Ben?” 

“Uh—“ Ben looked at Rey, almost desperate. “Sure. Yeah. Tomorrow at two, downtown.” 

“Sounds great! I’ve got to run, I’ll see you all there! If you need the address, Ben, Rey can text it to you.” Finn slapped Poe on his shoulder, gave Rey a quick peck on the top of her head, and he was out the door, his wool coat flapping at his heels. 

Finn moaned and leaned back in his seat. “That was a disaster.” 

“At least you’ll be able to spend time with him this weekend! And, me and Ben will be clever enough to stay out of your way, so it’ll basically be like a date. For the two of you, I mean. Right, Ben?” 

“Right, of course.” Ben cleared his throat and sat back down stiffly. “Uh, I will need your phone number in order to get the address—”

“You could just google it.” Poe rolled his eyes and stood up. “Thanks for breakfast Rey, I’m going to go hide my head in my pillow and pretend that tomorrow will go better than today did.” 

“Alright Dameron, good luck,” Rey pat him softly on the shoulder and climbed into his chair as Poe moped out the door, his scarf wrapped all the way around his head. “I’ll text you the address,” she said, holding her hand out to Ben for his phone. “I won’t make you do all that hard work of googling it yourself.” 

“Oh, of course,” Ben said, fumbling with his phone in his pocket. “I mean, I could, just look it up I mean, but I think that—It would be good to have your number. If we’re going to be meeting up, and all that.” 

Rey smiled at him. “Of course. That’s what you do, when you meet up with people. And, if things get too weird with Finn and Poe, you can always dip. I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t caught in the middle of whatever is going on between them.”

Ben smiled. Rey could look at his smile forever. She put his phone back in his hand, and her fingers brushed against the calluses of his palm, warmth spreading up her arm. “Thank you, I appreciate the save. How much do I owe you for these?” 

“Oh, it’s okay—”

“No, I insist. You can’t just give things away, that’s bad for business, Rey.” Even the way he said her name brought butterflies to her chest. “Thirty?” 

“Thirty-five,” Rey said. “Books are expensive.” 

“I’m sure these will be worth it,” Ben said, and his smile was just for her. He paid for the books and watched her as she rung it up on the register. His eyes were gentle, but Rey was acutely aware that he was watching her. He waved as he left, almost a salute, and Rey watched him walk down the street from the window, his tall fingers cutting shadows through the harsh light of the streetlamps.

***

Ben changed three times before deciding on a t-shirt and jeans. But was that too casual to wear to an art exhibit? No, he shouldn’t try too hard, he was crashing a stranger’s date. He shouldn’t even be going. But—Rey would be there. 

She had texted him the address of the museum last night, a small establishment in downtown Niima that Ben had been to more than a few times. 

*Hope to see you there! :)* she'd added. 

He had kept that message open on his phone in front of him as he ate dinner, his heart racing. What was he supposed to say something like that? Excited to see you? Or was that too flirty? Maybe she wasn’t into him—maybe he was just projecting. He couldn’t keep her face out of his head, her smile, the way her nose scrunched when she laughed. 

After dinner, he had picked up one of the books she’d dropped on him and tore through the first chapter, just to have something to text back to her. 

*Just started Third-Body Problem. Strange so far. I like it.” 

He had pressed send on the message with his heart beating in his thumbs. Jesus. This was why he didn’t have girlfriends. Not that Rey was his girlfriend. Not that he thought she would want to be his girlfriend. Christ, he was twenty-seven, his heart shouldn’t be hurting so badly over this. What if he had said the wrong thing? 

A few moments later, his phone chirped. 

*good!!! it isn’t my fav book but it seemed like something you would like lol* 

Ben smiled, warmth flooding through his chest. She thought about things that he would like to read? 

*got it in one :)*

Was the smiley face too flirty? He pressed send anyways, and she didn’t answer. Maybe she had fallen asleep? Maybe she thought he was being weird? Ben was spending too much energy trying to figure this out. In the span of one day, he had gone from planning to undermine Rey’s business to trying to figure out if she liked him or not. He was a grown ass man. This was ridiculous. He threw his phone down on his couch and went to bed, still thinking about the way her hair escaped from her bun. 

He had still not received an answer in the morning, so after Ben cycled through his three outfits, he texted her again. 

*meeting at 2?* 

*yes! see you there!* She answered immediately, and something that was compressed in Ben’s chest released. His phone lit up again with another message from her. *how are you dressing? fancy? Idkkkkkk*

*jeans,* he answered back.

*k cool!*

Had that been the right thing to say? It didn't seem like the answer to her question, but--maybe she had been looking for picture of him. He posed in the mirror, flexing, but all the pictures he took just looked ridiculous. And Rey didn't seem like the type to want something like that, anyways. Ben shoved his phone back in his pocket. Thirty minutes. He would just walk. It would solve the nerves that stirred his stomach up into something volatile. 

The afternoon was a little brisk, and Ben shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as he made his way across town, the winter sunlight cold and white as it bounced off of the glass skyscrapers that reached up on either side of the street. Downtown Niima was an up-and-coming place, with financial businesses crowding in on either end of the main stretch, which was still mostly dominated by foot-traffic driven businesses. Ben had overseen the construction of a StarKiller coffee down there about a year and a half ago. 

He thought of that with a grimace. He should stay away from that place, if at all possible. He didn’t want Rey to know that he was involved with StarKiller Coffee, and he wouldn't want any employees to recognize him. His gut twisted. Even thinking about the look in her eyes when she realized his treachery caused him physical pain. He swallowed it down. That would be a problem for Monday, when he had to come face to face with Hux. 

Rey was sitting on a low wall outside of the museum. Ben almost didn’t recognize her at first—her hair was down, and she was wearing a light dress under a heavy denim jacket, a pair of heavy military boots hitting the concrete as she swung her legs. She brightened as she saw him, and she waved enthusiastically. “Ben!” she called, and he hurried across the plaza to her, not caring how silly he looked.

“Rey,” he said, trying not to be breathless as he sat on the wall next to her. “I’m not late, am I?”

“Oh, I think we’re early.” Rey didn’t check her watch to figure it out, though. Instead, she focused entirely on him and smiled, and Ben was absolutely taken aback by the way her nose crinkled up, and the freckles that were splashed across her face. “You did some reading last night?” 

“I’m sorry?” 

“The books you got—you sent a text, you said you started one?” 

“Oh, right. I’m sorry.” Ben cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from hers. “Yeah, I did, I’m enjoying it a lot. Got a good way through the book, stayed up most of the night.” 

“That’s great! I knew you were a reader from the moment I laid eyes on you,” Rey cheered, and she elbowed him in the side, companionably, all animosity from their first meeting apparently forgotten. “Well, I thought you were an asshole, for sure, but an asshole who read, definitely.” 

Ben smiled, and wiped his face with his hand. “I think you’re probably right on both accounts.” 

Rey giggled, and the only sound between the two of him was the soft clunk of her rubber soled boots against the concrete. 

“Where do you think Poe and Finn are?” 

“We are really early, you know,” Rey said, “Probably by like five minutes. And Finn’s always late, for what that’s worth.” She dug around in the pocket of her jacket. “Maybe they’re making out in an alleyway somewhere, and we can just skip this whole thing. Oh—you know you can leave; you know? You are not in anyway obligated to stay here, if you don’t want to.” 

“No, no, it’s not that. I just think—” Ben cleared his throat again. “I think that if we sit here in silence for too much longer, you’re going to realize how boring and asshole-y I really am.” 

Rey laughed again, and Ben wondered if that was her nervous tick, or if she was really just that happy all the time. “As long as you aren’t ordering me around, I won’t think that you’re an asshole. And really, I don’t mind the silence. Too many people feel like they need to talk to fill up the space, but some things just speak for themselves.”

Ben felt himself smiling, unbidden. “Yeah. I understand that. But, I do want you to think that I’m an interesting person, and all that.” 

“I think you’re a strange person. A handsome person, too,” Rey said, and Ben almost gave himself whiplash turning to look at her. Her eyes were dancing, and her eyebrows drew together. She wasn’t teasing Ben—he could see her sincerity—but she was joking about something he couldn’t understand. “But I haven’t formed opinions deeper than that, yet.” 

Ben cleared his throat for a third time, but still, his voice was deep and gravelly. “A strange person?” 

“Sure.” She shook her head. “You come into my shop, spend about six hours there, ask me weird questions about operating a business—” her face turned thoughtful, and Ben was overwhelmed with sudden panic. 

“—Well, you know—” he began, but she cut him off. 

“And then, the next day, you come in just after I’ve woken up, and you hang out, uninvited, with me and my friends for thirty minutes, before leaving as quickly as you came. And, you allowed yourself to be strongarmed into whatever machinations Finn has going on,” she added. “I think that saying you’re strange is a pretty good word for it. I don’t have a better one, at least.” 

“Ah.” Ben looked at his toes. “Well.”

“Well?” Rey elbowed her again, and her face was teasing again, a smile tugging at her lips. “You don’t have any defense for yourself?”

“Do you want to have dinner tomorrow night?” 

“I’m sorry?”

“Dinner. Tomorrow night.” He scrubbed at his face. He hadn’t planned on asking her, hadn’t planned on saying anything at all, but he didn’t want to let this moment slip out of his hands. “Nothing against Poe, he seems lovely, but I don’t want to be hanging out in your front room every day for the next six months on the off chance that I'll get to spend fifteen minutes with you.Not that I wouldn't do that, of course, but--but I thought you might want to know, up front.”

“Oh.” Rey’s face had taken on a pretty flush, and she had become more serious than he had ever seen her. “So, did you just stop being an asshole to me because you want to ask me to dinner?” 

“No.” Ben shrugged. “I—I will probably still be an asshole. I'm pretty sure that's genetic. And I apologize for that in advance.”

“At least you’re honest about that.” Rey’s boots hit the concrete. “Okay. I would like that. To go to dinner, I mean. I would like to get to know you better.” 

“Alright.” Ben took a sidelong glance at her. She was still watching him intently, her hair blowing in front of her face. “Thank you, I mean. I will promise that I will try to be as un-terrible and un-strange as possible.” 

She laughed again, and the sound was music to his ears. “I’ll hold you to that.” She paused again. “Did you plan to ask me out at the museum, is that why you came here today?” 

Ben shrugged. “Honestly, Rey, nothing with you has gone as planned.” 

Rey opened her mouth to say something else, but the figure of Poe and Finn came into the plaza together, talking jovially. They weren’t holding hands or anything, so they probably hadn’t been making out in an alley like Rey had suggested, but the atmosphere between them seemed comfortable. 

Ben stood up as he saw them coming, and Rey stood up next to him. He hadn’t noticed that she was so short, that her head barely came up past his shoulder. He could rest his chin on the top of her head. It would be nice to pull her close to him—

“Ben! Rey, you’re early!” Finn’s smile was broad. 

“I haven’t been out of the house in ages, I thought I’d make the most of it,” Rey said, smiling, as she embraced her friend. Poe watched the two, and awkwardly and shook Ben’s hand. 

“Ben,” he said. 

“Poe,” Ben replied. “And Finn, hello to you too.”

“It was so nice of you to make it, man,” Finn said, pulling Ben into an unexpected hug, and giving him a slap on the back, like they had been friends all their lives. “It’s nice to see all of you in the daytime, instead of at the crack of dawn. You look way paler in the sunlight than in the store, Rey.” 

Rey stuck her tongue out at Finn, but she linked her arm with Ben's cheerfully and smiled up at him, before speaking to them all. “Ready to go?” 

“Ready if you are!” Poe led their small group to the front of the museum, talking about the exhibit he had heard of—something about inflated trash bags that formed structures. Ben had vaguely heard of the artist before, but he hadn’t seen this particular installation before, but he listened to Finn and Poe’s chatter with only half of an ear. The rest of his mind was focused entirely on the light weight of Rey on his arm. 

***

Halfway through the tour of the tour, Rey remembered that she was still holding onto Ben’s arm. He hadn’t shaken her off, though, and he seemed to be taking some sort of interest in whatever Poe was saying. She looked up at him, his dark eyes fixed on Poe, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration. 

Ben was very handsome. He had asked her out to dinner. He had told her that nothing was sure with her, and Rey didn’t know what that meant. But he was very handsome, and when he looked at her, Rey felt the room go in circles. 

He caught her looking at him, and his eyebrows crumpled. “What?” he mouthed, silently. 

Rey smiled and shook her head. 

“And this over here, this is supposed to be some sort of, I don’t know, representing the tidal wave of trash that is taking over our beaches, I think?” Poe was frowning at a large sheet of plastic supported by metal wires,

Ben cleared his throat. “I think that actually is a representation of how the internal state of the modern soul can be reflected in the pollution of our world. I think.” 

Poe turned. “Oh, have you—have you seen this before?” 

“I’ve seen this artist’s work before, yeah, but not this particular piece.”

“Oh. Well.” Poe turned back to the sculpture, deflated. “So that’s that, then.”

Finn turned to Ben, his eyebrows quickly furrowed, before leaning back over to Poe. “I think I like your explanation better, though. You should be the artist.” 

“Well thanks, for that.” Poe smiled at Finn, his face lit up, and Rey tugged on Ben’s jacket while they were distracted. 

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she said, “come with?” 

Ben nodded, and Rey could tell he was embarrassed. She pulled him out of the main gallery hall, but stopped him from moving towards the restroom area. “Let’s leave them alone, if that’s okay?”

“I know, I really fucked it up that time. I wasn't trying to show off, or anything--” 

“No, no, it’s not you. I just want them to be alone to flirt, and make dumb jokes, and stuff. And, I mean, you’re sort of drawing all of the attention to yourself. I mean, not in a bad way. Just let Poe be the most handsome one in the room for a minute.” Rey tried to brush off the compliment like she didn’t mean anything by it, but she could feel her face heating up. 

“Ah, well—” Ben nodded sharply, and looked away, his expression inscrutable. “We could go somewhere else in the museum, if you wanted to.” 

Rey shrugged. “Sure, I’ve never been here before, so if you want to go see one of the permanent exhibits, I probably haven’t seen it.” 

Ben smiled. “I’ll give you the guided tour, then.” He offered her his arm, and Rey took it with a smile, letting him lead her down the tall hallway to the other end of the museum. 

Being alone with him in the tall hallway of the museum was a little overwhelming. All the points of contact between them caused butterflies to race through Rey's body, and if she relaxed her head, even a fraction of an inch, her head would be resting against Ben’s bicep. She looked up at Ben again, just in time to catch him looking away from her quickly, and butterflies turned into a swarm in Rey’s stomach. 

Their footsteps echoed off the museum walls. It was fairly empty for a weekend afternoon, and the whispered conversations of other parties tugged at the end of the silence. “Do you come here pretty often?” Rey asked, hoping to start something of a conversation between her and Ben. “Shit, that sounded like a bad pick-up line,” she giggled nervously. 

Ben cleared his throat and nodded, not seeming to notice how jittery Rey was. “My mom’s a big fan of museums. When she would stop by to visit Niima, she would insist on tours.” 

“Oh.” They walked a bit more in silence, to the other end of the warehouse, where a large light display was being refracted against the concrete wall. “Did she pass away?” 

“What? No. We’re just –not on the best terms anymore.” Ben shrugged. “It’s not necessarily something I want to talk about right now.” 

“Oh. Okay.” Rey felt like her arm was sort of hanging limply in his, and Ben looked down at her sharply. 

“Not because-not because I don’t want to talk to you. It just, again, does not paint me in the best light. I’m sorry, is my arm uncomfortable for you?” 

“No, it’s okay. I just—what do you mean, doesn’t paint you in the best possible light? I mean, if you’re an asshole to your own mom—“ it doesn’t matter how handsome you are, Rey thought, but didn’t say aloud, I wouldn’t want to go to dinner with you. 

Ben let go of her arm and crossed his hands behind his back, so Rey did the same, stepping away from him just a bit. The two of them were standing in front of the refracting light, the exhibit moving in front of them like a tree, waving gently in the breeze. Ben sighed, softly, and Rey looked at him again. His eyes were creased and heavy, and a weight had been added to his shoulders. “You know,” he said, his voice low and quiet, “I’ve only known you for three days.” 

Rey shrugged. “Yeah.” 

Ben was quiet for another long moment. “I don’t know why I’m going to tell you about this, but—My dad was sort of a deadbeat, when I was growing up? Maybe a hippie is a better word for it, but he just didn’t often come home. And Mom forgave him. After all of that, she would always forgive him. There were a couple rough Thanksgivings, and a really loud Christmas, and it all exploded. I’m not proud of how I handled that whole situation, and I do miss my mom, but it feels like—” 

“Like you were abandoned, and that your mom wasn’t standing up for you?” 

“Yeah.” Ben smiled at her, a small and genuine smile. “Like that. I hope that things will get better soon, but in the meantime, it’s just as lovely to be here with you.” 

“What, you’re going to use me to replace your mom?” Rey elbowed him in the side, and Ben snorted, rolling his eyes. 

“I’m fucked up, but I promise I’m not that fucked up.” He reached out and drew her close to him, an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her once, before letting her go. Rey felt the absence of his arms around her shoulder like a cold echo. “Want to go on into the next room?” he asked her, and he led her into a room full of lights that swayed against the walls, a beautiful replica of a forest, created in the middle of the city. 

When Poe and Finn found them again, Ben was demonstrating an interactive exhibit—waving his hands over his head in order to make the branches of a light tree move, like it was swaying in the wind. “You just gotta—” 

Rey laughed from where she was standing. “It looks like you’re doing some sort of backwards zumba, or something—” 

“I’m just trying to get the damn tree to move—it’s not fucking—” Ben’s legs were pressed together, and his arms were up over his head, as he wiggled back and forth. 

“Woah, buddy, are you alright?” Finn’s voice stopped Ben’s wild movements, and Ben looked quickly from Rey to Finn and back again, embarrassment already burning in his eye. 

“You look like a Wiggle who’s tripping balls,” Poe said, leaning casually on a wall next to Rey. “Maybe you’re supposed to move more like a tree, and less like some sort of, I don’t know, deranged bamboo stalk?” 

“Right, well.” Still flushed with exertion, Ben looked behind him at the tree, and then back to Rey. “That’s how it’s supposed to work, anyways.” 

“I think you did a good job,” Rey said, trying not to laugh through her hands, “but I also think that Poe’s right, you didn’t even make the tree move.” 

Ben brushed his hair out of his face and cleared his throat, trying not to look flustered. “How did you all like the exhibit?” 

“It was pretty cool!” Finn said, his face instantly lighting up. “It was so cool to see all of that single-use plastic being reused like that, I think that it really brought attention to how much stuff we just throw away in one day, you know? I think I’m definitely going to try to cut back on waste. And, being able to walk through that last sculpture at the end—” 

“That was super cool,” Poe joined in, “you guys really missed out. ”

“Wait, weren’t you guys going to the bathroom?” Finn’s looked at Rey quizzically. 

Rey caught Ben’s eye, and she shrugged. “Ben’s been giving me a private tour. He comes here with his mom sometimes.” 

“Do you do that wiggle dance for your mom?” Poe asked, and Ben rolled his eyes. 

“Did you guys want to get lunch, or something?” he asked, instead of answering. “If not, I’m going to walk Rey home, she said she needed to—” he looked at her, desperately. 

“I need to go check on Baby,” Rey jumped in, “he might be chewing at the plants. So, if you don’t mind Ben, I’ll take you up on that offer to walk me home?” 

“Oh, are you sure?” Finn looked at Rey intently. “I feel like I haven’t seen you at all today.” 

“I’ll text you later,” Rey promised, “and maybe, if you have free time next weekend, I’ll see you then?” She stood up on her tiptoes and put her arms around her best friend, hugging him while Ben and Poe tried not to stare at the two of them. If she could, she would whisper in his ear what was going on, but ultimately, that was Poe’s job. If Poe couldn’t be upfront about his feelings—was it Rey’s job to do it for him? She didn’t feel like playing high school. “You two go get boba tea or something, it’ll be fun.” 

Poe perked up. “I would love that, I haven’t had boba in so long.” 

“Yeah, if you want to, that would be great,” Finn said, and Rey let go of him, stepping back next to Ben. The four left the museum, and went their separate ways on the pavement, Poe talking excitedly the entire time and Finn nodding enthusiastically, occasionally interjecting. Finn turned back about twenty yards down the street, and pointed at Rey—“You will text me, right?” 

Rey raised her pinky in the air. “Promise!” she shouted back, and she grabbed Ben’s hand, pulling him down the main street of Niima, the crowds enveloping them. “That went better than expected,” she told Ben smiling at him, “I thought it was going to be a lot more awkward.” 

Ben was staring at Rey’s face, and as she spoke, he shook his head, as though to clear it. “Yeah, of course. I mean-I’m glad it wasn’t. It’s nice of you to support Poe in this, even though he’s being a little—”

“Wimpy?” Rey shrugged, acutely aware of the fact that her hand was still in Ben’s. “I guess so. I just think that he and Finn would go well together—if they don’t get together, that’s fine, but Finn’s been lonely since he and Rose broke up, and I think that both Finn and Poe have the same like, I don’t know, enthusiasm for life. You know?” 

Ben nodded, slowly. “I can see it. I don’t know if I understand why you haven’t just grabbed Finn and shaken him yet—it’s so obvious that Poe likes him, I don’t know how he can’t see him, I mean—but you’re a good friend to want to make both of them happy.” 

Rey shrugged, but the compliment brought a bloom of warmth to her chest. “Thank you.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Ben looked at her again, and smiled. “Do you want to go back to your apartment? Or do you want to, I don’t know, get food or something?” 

Rey made a face. “Let’s go back to my place, yeah? I don’t really have the money to go out to a place right now, I have some cupcakes I made last weekend in the fridge, if you want any?” 

“Oh, yeah, sure. I could—” Ben fell silent, and shook his head as she led him through a throng of people, taking him on a circuitous route back to the bookstore, which was only about fifteen minutes away from the bustle of downtown. Niima wasn’t very big, but it was the only city that Rey had ever lived in, and she knew it like the back of her hand. 

When they got back to her rundown street—mostly failing businesses that were underneath apartments, all stacked together, connected by sidewalks that were cracked and crumbling, patches of weeds growing up where the concrete had chipped away. Rey noticed that Ben’s gaze lingered particularly long on an empty storefront, the windows of which were catching dust in the mid-afternoon light. 

“It’s not a bad place to live,” Rey said, “it looks bad, but it’s safe.”

“What? Oh, that’s good to hear. That place just looks like it’s been empty for a while.” 

“Yeah.” Rey shrugged. “Honestly, we’re pretty lucky that someone hasn’t bought that place up yet. By we, I mean everyone on the street. It’s really only a matter of time before we get priced out of this area, we’re too close to downtown for corporations not to want and buy us out. That’s a problem for another day, though.” She caught Ben’s hesitancy as she went to the front of her building, fumbling with her keys. 

He didn’t say anything, just shuffled in place on the sidewalk. “I could just go home—” he said suddenly. 

Rey shook her head. “No, please don’t. I mean, unless you really want to. I won’t do anything creepy, I promise.” 

“Is that-is that your door?” 

Rey laughed. “Do you think I live in my bookstore? Come on.” She held open the door up to her apartment, and Ben went in first, his wide shoulders taking up the entirety of the narrow staircase, his heavy steps causing the wooden planks to creak in protest. Rey locked the door behind them and followed him up to the top of the staircase, which opened up into her living room. 

Baby was lounging on the couch, languorously licking one of his paws. 

Ben seemed taken aback by her apartment. “This is—you have even more books up here.” 

“Oh yeah.” Rey laughed self-consciously and dropped her keys on the table. Her living room was full of plants and hand-crocheted blankets, comfortable in the same way that the bookstore was comfortable. The couch took up the back wall of the living room, and the other walls were full of make-shift bookshelves, with a large coffee table and cocoon chair in the middle of the room, hanging plants cascading down from the top shelves of a few bookshelves. To the left, at the front of the apartment, was Rey’s bedroom, and to the right was the small kitchen and dining room. 

“I say that this room is Baby’s room,” Rey told Ben, sitting in the cocoon chair, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Oh, do you want something to drink?” 

“No, I’m okay for right now. Will he scratch me if I sit next to him?” 

“Probably not. He let you scratch him the day before yesterday, so that’s probably a good sign.” 

“That’s super comforting, thank you.” Ben sat down gingerly, and held out his hand to Baby, who sniffed it gingerly, and licked his fingers delicately. Ben smiled up at Rey, the sun coming out from behind the clouds. 

Rey smiled back, resting her chin on her knees. “Why me?” 

“What?” 

“Like, why my coffee shop, why asking me on a date? I don’t even know you that well, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing, I mean. I’m happy, it would be nice to get to know you more, and I don’t know, go on more dates and stuff, this is super nice, and I really like that you’re here, and that you came to hang out at the museum—” Rey could feel herself turning red, but she couldn’t stop herself rambling. 

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Ben leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. When his attention was on Rey like this, his entire focus on her, Rey felt truly seen in a way she didn’t know if she’d felt before.

“Like, looking at me, or?” 

“No, I mean everything. Rey—” Ben looked down as his hands. “I like you a lot. I can’t put it into words, and I haven’t really felt about this anyone ever, and I just—there’s a lot you don’t know, yet. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, and—”

“Well, that’s the point of going on a date, right? To get to know each other?” 

Ben shook his head. “I guess so.” 

“So, snacks? Or?” 

Ben looked up at her, and it might have been a trick of the light, but his smile seemed pained. “Sure,” he said, “that would be great.” 

Rey went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of soda, a few cups, and a couple of the cupcakes she'd promised. Ben seemed too fancy for a bag of Doritos, but she grabbed that anyways. It would be funny to watch him lick the orange dust off of his fingers. She balanced it all on her arms and walked back into the living room. 

Ben was no longer on the couch, and the living room was empty. Rey dumped all of the food onto the coffee table. Had he left? She hadn’t heard him go. Had it been something she said? She bit her fingernail, and realized, with a sinking feeling, how much she had wanted Ben to stay. 

“I’m in here,” he said, his voice deep and heavy in the air of her apartment, and her heart leaped into her throat as she realized that Ben was in her bedroom. Her arm across her waist, Rey went into the bedroom.

Ben was standing in front of the windows, his arms crossed over his chest, his back to Rey. His silhouette was thrown back across Rey’s bed, and she blushed involuntarily. “You have a nice view,” Ben said, his voice vibrating through Rey’s chest. “A lot of sunlight.” 

Rey walked up next to him, bumping into her footboard. “You’re probably used to better.” She tried to make it sound like she was telling a joke, instead of jealous or desperate for his attention. 

“Why do you think I have money?” Ben looked at her, and Rey felt her blush seeping into the roots of her hair. “You don’t know where I live.” 

“Just your clothes. And, the first day you came into the coffeeshop, you just spent your entire time typing very fast into your phone while drinking three sort of expensive coffees so fast, you probably couldn’t even notice how they tasted.” Rey shrugged. “Also, I saw your wallet when you bought the books.” 

“You were watching me the first day I came in?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I thought—I didn’t realize that you were looking at me.” For a second, Ben sounded just as unsure of himself as Rey felt. 

“Rose wanted to ask you out,” Rey said, trying to keep her voice light. “But I told her off.” 

Ben smiled at her, and stepped closer, the warmth from his side radiating against Rey. Her heart pounded in her chest, and somewhere deeper, and she was overcome with the wild desire to wrap her hands in his long hair, to pull him down to her mouth, to kiss him on the mouth as hard as she could—

“I’m glad,” he said, his voice grinding through Rey’s whole body, and his hand was on her waist, and his other hand was on her cheek, pressing her into him, his mouth against hers warm and urgent. His hand moved across her back so that he was pressing her into his chest, pressing her against him so that she was caught up in the way he was breathing her in, in the way he was devouring her. Rey stood on her toes and gasped into him, digging her fingers into his shirt, into his shoulders, cupping her hand on the back of his neck. Pulling herself against him, pressing herself against his waist, kissing him so desperately that she wasn’t sure where Rey ended and Ben Solo began.


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“No, please.” Rey’s fingers were wound up in Ben’s t-shirt, her other hand was wound up in the back of his hair. She could feel is heartbeat through the front of his chest. His heart was pounding just as hard as hers was. “Please, I—”

Ben sighed, and put his forehead against hers, his breath fluttering against her cheeks. “I didn’t come here just to-take advantage of you. I don’t know—”

Rey laughed, eyes still closed, and untangled her hand from his hair, putting it on his cheek. “I didn’t think so. I think-I’ve wanted this since I saw you Wednesday, and—”

Ben groaned and pulled Rey closer, pressing her waist against his, and the warmth of his body, him, sent flutter through her stomach, and pressed between her legs. The press of Ben’s hand against the small of her back sent an urge of longing through her entire body. She turned to press her mouth to his again, but Ben pushed her away, taking a step back. 

Rey fell back, her cheeks flushed red. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“No, Rey—“ Ben cut her off, and reached out to her again, holding her chin in his hands. His eyes swallowed her whole. She could drown in the planes of his face, in the intensity of the way he looked at her. “If we start this now, I’m not going to stop. “

“What’s wrong with that?” Even Rey could hear the desperate tremble in her voice. 

Ben smiled, his eyes closing, before opening again. “Rey—let me take you out for dinner.”

“Tomorrow, yeah?” 

“Yeah, tomorrow. Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow, let me dress up nice for you and take you out, and then I’ll bring you home, and then …” he looked at Rey up and down, sending a shiver through her entire body. 

She could feel that she was staring at him, her eyes open a little too wide, but she couldn’t feel it in herself to stop. She just nodded, mutely, her head still in his massive hands. “Okay. How fancy—how fancy do I have to dress up?” 

Ben closed his eyes and laughed quietly, and pulled Rey close to him, putting a gentle kiss on the head. “You look beautiful as you are right now. I’ll pick you up around 6?” 

“Tomorrow? Yeah, okay.” Rey closed her eyes and leaned into him again, just to feel his laughter echoing throughout her entire body. “I guess you have to go now?” 

“I guess,” Ben said, but he didn’t make a move to leave, instead just idly moving his hand through the strands of her hair that escaped over her ears. “I have to go, send some emails, and stuff.”

“What about?”

Ben’s hand stopped moving. “Just work stuff. I need to tell them—to cancel something. Nothing to worry about though, I promise.”

Rey took a step back to look at him. “Why would I be worried about your work?” She reached forward and pushed some of his own flyaway hairs behind his ear. “What do you do, anyways?” 

Ben swallowed loudly, and it looked like he was becoming physically anxious. “Uh, just acquisitions and property management. Actually,” he took his arms away from Rey, rubbing his palms together. “There’s really something I need to tell you.”

Rey’s heart dropped into her stomach, and stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. He looked so frightened about something. “What do you mean?” 

“I-Rey, I was sent to see how well a business would do on this street. Um.” He rubbed his face with his hand. “I was supposed to buy one of the empty buildings up the street, but, like you were saying, that would have driven you out of the pricing range for this street, and I just can’t do that—”

“Oh, Ben, no, it’s your job, you shouldn’t fuck up your company just to make sure that I still have my job, you just met me—”

“Rey. This is your home. This is a good home, and a good place. You put everything you have into Sunshine, and into this apartment, and—” It might have been Rey’s imagination, but Ben’s eyes got a little teary as he looked around her apartment, gesturing at the space they were staying in. “And I don’t want to be responsible for destroying that.” 

Rey smiled, unsure. “Well, thank you for that. I’m tougher than I look, you know? You hardly know me, you don’t need to sabotage yourself for me—”

“I feel like I’ve know you my whole life,” Ben said, his voice shockingly strong, and he looked at   
Rey again, his eyes strong. “And, Rey, there are a lot of empty streets.” 

Rey smiled sadly. “And I’m willing to bet that most of them have the same story as this one. But, thank you for looking out for me, Ben. Maybe you’re just my guardian angel.” She took his hand and pressed the palm against her mouth, giving it a quick kiss on the flesh of the palm. “I like you a lot. And I don’t know if I can put why into words.” 

Ben’s eyes crinkled up at the corners. “I get that. Can I—Can I try one of those cupcakes, before I leave?” 

Rey laughed. “Anything to get you to stick around longer.” 

*** 

The moment Ben got into his apartment, he headed to the shower and turned it on cold enough to freeze the skin off of his fingers, but it didn’t drive the images of Rey’s body against his, Rey’s mouth against his from his mind or the heat from his cock. He groaned into his wash rag, pressing his forehead against the cold tile of the shower. 

It had been one of the most frustrating things he’d ever done, to leave her apartment, to come back to his own, that was cold and unwelcoming, and didn’t have Rey. The way her nose crinkled up when she was preparing to laugh, the way her eyes danced as she teased him. He didn’t even know her last name. He needed to know her last name, and the way she liked to be kissed, and her favorite color. He needed to know more about Rey, needed to know what her soft skin felt like—

He needed to email Hux, to tell him to never look at Rey’s street again. Tell him—fudge the numbers, or something. Tell Hux to fuck off. 

Fuck off. He wanted—

He needed to email Hux. He couldn’t think about Rey, not that way, not right now, not the way that she had thrown herself at him in her bedroom, her small hands tangled in the back of his hair, the desperation of her mouth. He threw a towel around his waist, and dried his hair with a towel, walking back into the living room, where he pulled out his computer. 

Hux had emailed him several times. Ben kept his answer as short as possible. *Bad location. I’ll find a new one by Tuesday. DO NOT TEXT.*

He closed his laptop and stood up. Where was he going to take Rey tomorrow? He hadn’t planned a damned thing, not any of it, he’d just seen her sitting on that wall, her hair in front of her face, her ankles kicking out, and she had smiled at him, her freckles crinkling up under her eyes, and he hadn’t had a choice. 

Really, he had wanted to put his hand behind her head and pull her mouth against his right there, in the middle of Niima, but instead he had just asked her to dinner. And then, later, he’d asked her—fuck. He’d asked her to wait, so that he could have all of her, and she had agreed. The heat he had been trying to push down rushed into his cheeks, into his dick, and Ben clenched his jaw as he undid his towel, putting his hand over his own cock, and touching it lightly. 

Rey had been the only thing he was able to think about since Wednesday. How her small hands would feel on him, how her body would feel underneath his, how her tits would move as he flipped her over and—Ben touched himself harder, holding his cock in his hand, and stroking himself as hard as he could, ideas of Rey’s warm and gentle hands over his body bringing him so quickly to the edge, and then there were stars bursting at the edge of his vision, and his cock was twitching against the skin of his stomach, under the warmth of his hand. 

When he opened his eyes, Ben was sitting alone in his living room again, towel open, cum over his stomach. He cussed quietly and cleaned himself up with the corner of his towel, and walked back into his bedroom, throwing the towel into a corner. 

Hopefully, Rey would be here tomorrow, and—

He couldn’t think about her about this like that, not right now, not immediately. He pulled his boxers on, and then a pair of sweatpants. God. The way Rey had looked when he had told her that he could have hurt her, ruined her home and business; the absolute forgiveness that she had given him, so easily. 

The small part of his gut twisted—she didn’t know all of it, didn’t know the whole truth—but she had called him her guardian angel. She had looked at him with trust and kindness and forgiveness, and Ben would cross to the edges of the world and back, for her to look at him like that again. 

He groaned and threw himself back on his bed. It was only about five—he had spent so much time over at Rey’s, but none of it has been wasted, just sitting on her couch and trying to make her laugh—he would do it again tomorrow, if she would give him the chance. If he could go to sleep now and wake up tomorrow when it was time to pick Rey up for dinner, he would do it in an instant. 

As he closed his eyes, his phone, rang, and his heart jumped into his throat. Rey? No—his mom. He sat up, and listened to the ringtone echo throughout his room, his mom’s face, cropped out of a photo from his graduation dinner, faced him from the phone screen. He pressed the green button under his finger and brought the phone up to his ear. “Hello?” His voice was hesitant. 

“Ben? Ben, is that you?” 

“Yeah, Mom. Is everything okay? Are you okay, is something wrong--?”

“No, nothing is wrong.” Leia’s voice was shaky on the other end of the line, and Ben could hear her taking a deep breath on the other end of the line. “I just thought I could call. I—to be honest, Ben, I didn’t think that you would answer, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay—”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Uh-I’m okay, actually. It’s weird that you called me right now, that you called me today, I just—I went to that art museum downtown with a group of friends? I was showing Rey the light display, I was thinking of you—”

Leia laughed, and it sounded like her throat was clogged with tears. “I’m glad that you have friends you take you out to art museums, Ben, that you can surround yourself with that energy. I know you don’t believe it that, but let me be happy for you.” Her scolding was preemptive, and not serious. He’d forgotten how much Leia believed in energy and the forces of the universe. 

He smiled to himself. “How’s Han?”

“Ben—”

“I’m not trying to start a fight. I don’t know. I just miss you, Mom, and I know that I can’t have a relationship with you without Han being in the picture, and I can’t say that everything will be immediately alright, but I think I understand—” not yet, he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t say that he understood how his mom felt about Han, how even if he screwed them both over a dozens times, how she would go back to him. He did understand, after spending an afternoon with Rey, how you could care for someone do deeply, but he didn’t know if he was ready to admit it yet, even to himself. 

Leia’s voice was watery, and Ben could almost hear her dabbing under her eyes. “You’re an adult, Ben, I am not going to dictate if you have a relationship with him or not. But, I am—I am overwhelmed by the fact that you would make that effort for me. If I could, I would reach right through the phone and hug you.”

Ben laughed, though it was more of a sniffle, as tears pricked at his own eyes too, hot against the bridge of his nose. 

“I have a duplicitous reason for calling you, really,” Leia said, clearing her throat, “I am coming by Niima for an exhibition next weekend, I wanted to know if you would be able to meet up with me? Just for dinner, if you had time, or maybe we could go to a museum, like we would when you were in college—” 

“I would love that.” He didn’t even have to think about it. “Yeah, I would absolutely want to. What’s the exhibition?” 

“It’s a traveling tour I’m putting on for one of my clients, it’s nothing you need to worry about, unless you’re interested.” 

“Yeah, actually.” Ben cleared his throat. “I would love to bring someone by, if you don’t mind? To meet you, maybe, in a super informal way, and also just to see what you’re up to. And I’d love to be able to see you outside of that, I’ll move anything around, just let me know.” 

“Ben— I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear your voice, to be able to see you this weekend.” Leia stopped talking abruptly, and Ben felt the tightness returning to his throat. “I can’t believe it—” 

“It’s okay, Mom. I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “I know that’s not enough, but I’m sorry.” 

“Honey, of course. What have you been up to for the past year and a half? How are you doing, are you okay, are you eating well?” 

Ben rolled his eyes, and laid back on his bed, and for the next half an hour, it was like he had never stormed out of his mother’s house two years ago. Leia’s voice was comforting and familiar and Ben hadn’t been able to talk so freely with her since college. When they finally hung up, he was left with a soft glow in the pit of his stomach. The glow of understanding, that his mother understood him, that she had called him. Serendipity, maybe, just like she’d said. 

Before he went to bed later that night, his phone pinged one more time. Not his mom, but Rey. Her words made his stomach turn on itself. *sleep tight :)* 

*goodnight Rey. Can’t wait for tomorrow* he answered, and he fell asleep, his phone still in his hand.

***

He couldn’t wait to see her. Rey kept checking the text message as she put the morning coffee on, put the muffins in the oven. Ben couldn’t wait to see her. Should she answer, or would that be too childish? She wanted to text him and tell him good morning. It was eight, he wouldn’t still be sleeping, right? 

It was Sunday, and Rey didn’t usually open the shop super early on Sundays. Finn and Poe didn’t really stop by, they didn’t have work, and the crowds weren’t usually intense until around after churches let out. Rey and Baby were alone. she picked up her phone and texted Ben back. *same :) morning!* 

Was that too much? Was she coming across as too desperate? He had basically said that he wanted her yesterday, and that if she pushed him too far, kissed him again, he would have—Rey flushed. She didn’t want him just for that, though. He was really great to spend time with, and she liked the way he listened to her, his entire being focused on her. When she talked to Ben, she knew she was being listened to. Just that alone was enough to send butterflies into her stomach. 

As she was drifting off into her thoughts, Finn pushed into the shop, his face flushed. “You didn’t text me!” He said, pulling his hat off of his head and throwing it onto a chair. “Rey, what happened!”

“Oh, shit Finn, I’m so sorry, I got caught up in—”

“Got caught up in what, making sure your cat didn’t eat a plant?” Finn leaned on the counter; his eyebrows raised. 

Rey blushed. “No. Sorry, I should have told you I didn’t get kidnapped. How was your afternoon?” 

Finn stuck a finger threateningly at Rey. “Did you know that Poe was into me?” 

“Yeah. Sorry.” Rey knew that she didn’t sound very sorry. She shifted where she stood. “It’s sort of incredible that you didn’t know, honestly. Ben knows. Even Rose knows.” 

“I would have appreciated the heads up—”

“This isn’t high school!” 

“You say that, but Rey—!”

“What, was he inappropriate?” Concern overwhelmed her. “What happened? Did he like, grope you, or something? I’ll kick his ass if he did, I won’t ever let him in here again—”

“No, Rey. I, Christ, I slept with him, I didn’t even know I liked him, but we went to dinner, and he was so charming, and I brought him back to my place, and we were watching these shitty movies together, and—” 

Rey jumped up, throwing her arms around Finn’s neck, squeezing him quickly, before stepping back, the counter between them. “Are you serious! And you had a good time, right, you were comfortable and you had fun?”

“Rey it was so nice, but I shouldn’t have done that—“’

“Why not? He likes you, you like him, right?” 

“Yeah, I’ve been into him for a while. Really, I could see you any time, I don’t have to come by here just at 6 am, I could be by here whenever, but, I haven’t been with anyone since—” He looked around and lowered his voice, “since Rose, I don’t know what I’m doing here, that’s been three years!” 

“Oh, honey,” Rey reached forward and flattened the lapel of his jacket. “I didn’t know that, I’m sorry. But I’m sure that Poe will listen to you, if you want to talk about it with him, you know? He’s not going to judge you or anything, he genuinely likes you.” 

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I guess. I guess. I just, I had no idea, and now—” 

“Yeah. I get that. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think that you realized he asked you on a date yesterday. That’s why Ben and me showed up, so it wouldn’t be too awkward, if you didn’t want to be with him, or whatever.” 

Finn rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, that’s why you and Ben came, so you could pretend that you were gonna be emotional support and then run off and have your own time all by yourself—” 

“You didn’t need emotional support! You just said you liked him, it’s not like me being there could have made anything less awkward, you know? Do you want anything to drink, by the way?” 

“Yeah, sure, just a cup of whatever you’re having would be great. Can I come hang out on your side of the counter?” 

“Are you staying?” Rey back into the kitchen. 

Finn hauled himself over the counter and settled himself next to the cash register, his arms crossed over his chest, his back facing the front door. “Yeah. It’s Sunday, I don’t really have anywhere else to be. Poe said that he wanted to see me later, so—”

“So, you’re going to go and see him, and not crush his tiny heart, right?” Rey poured the cups of coffee, and brought Finn one, going back into the kitchen to take the muffins out of the oven. She pulled plastic gloves over her hand with a snap, and began taking the muffins out of the tray, one by one. 

Finn moaned. “This is all just moving too fast—”

“So tell him that! He comes into my shop every morning at 6-fucking-A.M. to talk about how much he likes you, and if I have to deal with him looking like a downtrodden cat for the next week because you refuse to call him on the goddamn phone and tell him that you need a moment, I will send you directly to the power of the moon. With the power of my anger alone, Phineas.” 

Finn snorted. “That’s not my name.” He rubbed his face with his hand and groaned again. “God. Okay. What do I say to him?” 

“You say that you like spending time with him, and that you like him, but that you want to spend more time with him before things get a little more serious, because you’re still rusty on that whole dating front. You know. But say it nicer than that.” 

“Yeah, okay.” Finn pulled out his phone and began typing furiously. 

Rey began cleaning the kitchen, spraying down the counters and sweeping crumbs into the palm of her gloved hand. She dropped the empty muffin tray into the sink and began to clean the oven top. 

“So, are you dating Ben?” 

“What? No. I don’t—I’m meeting up with him tonight, to go for dinner.” Rey flushed when she remembered the exact words that he had said to her in her apartment yesterday. “So, I’m excited for that. I don’t know, I just want to get to know him better, you know.” 

“I hope you can hear my eye roll. Over here, sir, can I help you with anything?” 

“What?” Rey came out of the kitchen, to see a very pale man, so pallid that she could almost see his veins through his skin, and red hair springing out at all angles of his head, approaching Finn at the counter. He was wearing a suit during the weekend, and his lips were pressed together so tightly that Rey didn’t think they had any blood left in them. 

“Hi, hello, who is the manager here?” The man looked at Finn, not even noticing Rey.

“That would be her, but why? What’s up, is something wrong?” Finn shot Rey a worried look, not even bothering to tell the man that he didn’t work here. 

“Yes, actually, I received a very suspicious email yesterday, and I would like to speak with the manager about it, that is you?” The man pointed at Rey, his nose crinkling in disgust just looking at her.

Rey nodded. “I don’t really email anyone, and I wasn’t working yesterday, so I can assure you that we didn’t say anything to you, it might have been a hacker or something—” 

“It wasn’t. I am a representative of Starkiller Coffee, Armitage Hux, and I am in charge of managing the construction of franchises in Niima. This street has been chosen as the perfect area, as we don’t have any other franchises in the area, and your establishment shows that you already have a very good customer base here.” The man cleared his throat, and Rey felt her stomach sink all the way down into her toes. 

Ben had said—he worked for a company. Did he work for Starkiller? He said that he would make sure that they made no acquisitions on her street—isn’t that what he’d said? He’d said that he wanted Sunshine to stay open, that they would look elsewhere—all of the air had left Rey’s lungs, and she clung onto the doorframe for support, hoping that this Hux couldn’t tell how her legs were failing her. 

“I have received an email, and I believe that you may be behind a sudden change of heart that our acquisition manager recently had—”

“No.” Rey’s voice was surprisingly strong. “No. I had nothing to do with that.” 

Hux raised an eyebrow. “But you do know what I am talking about?” 

“I know your-the manager that you’re talking about. We talked about my profits and stuff, he said it wasn’t worthwhile. I make all my stuff in-house, I have one employee, we barely break even every month. He said-he said that it wasn’t a good place, if I was going to broke.” Please, let this man believe her, please, please, if Starkiller came in, Sunshine was gone. 

Hux made a large audible sound in the back of his throat and looked Finn up and down. “To be sure, I will be speaking to Mr. Solo about all of this. Good day.” He turned on his heel and swished out of the store, like some sort of super villain. 

Finn and Rey could only watch him go, dumbstruck. As the door shut behind him, Rey felt herself sliding down the wall, holding onto the wall for support. She sat down on the floor, her head spinning. “Finn, would you please get me your phone?” 

“Yeah, what—what was that? What’s happening?” Finn passed her the phone and crouched on the ground next to her. “Rey, are you okay? You don’t look good.” 

Rey opened her phone, her field of vision narrowing to just the screen of her phone. She found Ben’s message and opened it, pressing the button that would call him. Putting her head between her knees, squeezing her eyes shut as hard as she could, she listened to the dial tone on the other end of the phone. 

“Hello?” Ben’s voice was warm and concerned on the other end of the phone. “Rey, are you okay?” 

“Do you know someone named Armitage Hux?” 

“Oh, no, Rey, what happened, are you okay--?” 

“I don’t know. He came into Sunshine. Are you called Solo? Is that your name?” 

“Yes, Rey, I—”

“And you work for Starkiller coffee.” 

“I do. Rey, I’m sorry, I don’t know, I tried to tell you yesterday, but I was a coward, please, can I come over, can we talk about this—” He sounded frantic, like he felt just as desperate as Rey was feeling. 

“Yes, please. I’m not mad, Ben, I think I’m having a panic attack though, Finn is here, but I can’t see anymore, I can’t breath—” Finn, who was still listening, put his hand on Rey’s back, and the warm presence of his hand against her was steadying, but Rey still felt like the world was tilting at an uncanny axis. “You were right, I don’t want to lose my home, and there’s nothing I can do against a company like that—” 

“You won’t, I’ll do everything I can, hold on Rey, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Ben said, and the line disconnected, leaving Rey and Finn alone on the kitchen floor. 

*** 

Ben didn’t even bother to put on actual pants, just threw a jacket over his bare chest and pajama pants, and he slung his laptop over his shoulder as he tied his shoes on. He slammed the buttons on the elevator, as he frantically scrolled through his email. It wasn’t company policy to and harass competing businesses—what in the Hell had Hux been thinking? He was unable to form a coherent thought, but if Hux was here, he would drive his fist through his pale, sniveling face. 

The first email that was in his inbox was from Hux, titled SUNSHINE LOCATION. The body of the email was equally direct. *It’s a great location, what are you talking about? I will conduct my own recon tomorrow. I WILL text you when I have reached my own conclusion.* 

Fuck. Ben shoved his phone in his pocket. Hux wasn’t supposed to do that. Really, he could get fired for infringing on Ben’s department. Ben could report him to the higher-ups, but that would bring a lot of unnecessary eyes onto the whole situation. Instead, he settled for cursing and angrily shoving his phone into his back pocket and powerwalking down the six blocks to Sunshine. 

He flew through the front door of the shop, finding it mostly empty—there was a little old lady drinking her beverage at a table in the front of the shop, and an irate Finn standing guard at the cash register. Finn—was that Poe Dameron’s jacket?—was standing over the counter, his face furrowed. 

“Where is she?” Ben didn’t even bother to say hi. 

Finn’s jaw clenched, and he pointed at Ben, his finger severe. “What did you do?” 

“Nothing, I promise, I’m trying to make it better but that asshole—” the lady at the table flinched at his language, “—keeps going behind my back, I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I need to talk to her, please, Finn.” 

“I’m telling you, dude, if you’re fucking her over, you will never see the end of me—” 

Ben jumped over the counter in one swift movement, coming chest-to-chest with Finn. “Please, Finn. I know you’re her friend. I don’t want to hurt her. I want to help her make sense of things, I want to make sure that that asshole—” he whispered the word, this time, “—doesn’t come back.” 

Finn’s jaw was still clenched. “She’s in the backroom, the stocking room. If she tells you to leave, leave.” 

Ben nodded. “Of course.” 

Finn stood aside, and Ben walked past him, into the kitchen, and through the back door, into what wasn’t much bigger than a closet. Rey was unpacking boxes, pulling things out and putting them on shelves. She didn’t look up as Ben walked in. She was engrossed in reading the label of a package. “I’m okay, Finn, you don’t need to keep checking up on me.” 

“He’s right to check up on you.” Ben cleared his throat, and she turned around, her eyes wide. “Are you okay?” 

She shrugged. For the first time, Ben was unable to read her expression. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think. Did you come in here just to take my home away from me?” Rey turned back to what she was doing, so that Ben could only see the back of her head. 

“No.” Ben sat down, sliding down the wall so he was on the floor, putting his bag at his feet. “I mean, I came in here to see if this was like, a good place, and then I filed my report with the company that it wasn’t. And Hux overrode it, which he wasn’t supposed to do, and it’s sort of put me in a fucked up place. And you. And I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can do to make it better for you, let me know.” 

Rey shrugged, and it sounded like she was about to cry. “I just—I don’t want to leave here. Can you do anything about that?” 

“I don’t know. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that Starkiller doesn’t come anywhere near here.” Ben shook his head. “Honestly, Rey, I’m probably going to get fired over this, which is the least of my worries right now. If they’re gonna fuck me over like this, then I don’t know if I want to work there anymore—“ He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for just rambling.” 

“I just don’t know what to do.” Rey put down what she was holding, and turned around, her arms crossed over her chest. Her face was pale and peaked, and her eyes suddenly seemed too wide for her face. 

Ben pat the ground next to him, and she came and sat down, keeping a few inches between them, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. “What do I do, Ben?” 

He reached out, and put an arm around her, and she didn’t pull away. “I don’t know. I’ll help you figure it out, though, I promise. Nothing is going to happen until Monday, but when it starts happening, I promise that I will fight tooth and nail for you.” 

Rey nodded, and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Thank you. I’m still—I’m still scared, but—if you won’t let me down, then I’ll trust you, right?” 

“Thank you.” Ben rubbed her shoulder, and her breath against his sternum sent butterflies through his chest. “My mom called me last night, after I got home.” His voice was quiet in the concrete room. 

“Oh?” Rey looked up at him, her chin shifting against his shirt. “Was everything okay?” 

“More than okay. Great, actually.” Ben used his free hand to rub his face. “She’s going to come and see me this weekend. And, she got me some tickets for this art exhibit that she’s helping put on, so if— if you’re free next weekend. And you want to see me, still. I would love if you would come with me.” 

“Wait-are you inviting me to meet your mom?” 

Ben nodded, slowly. “Is that okay?” 

“I think so.” Rey put her head back down on his chest. “Are you still going to take me out to dinner, and then make out with in my bedroom?” 

Ben chuckled. “Do you still want me to?”

“Yes please.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m just scared. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” 

“It’s okay.” Ben pulled her closer. “I mean, it’s not okay. It sucks ass, and I’m sorry that you were thrown into the middle of this corporate pissing match. It’s not fair to you, not at all, and I wish that I could pick you up and take you away from all of this.” 

“You can still pick me up.” Rey reached out and rubbed his arm, and he laughed, shifting his arms so that they were tighter. 

Ben laughed. If he bent his head down, he could kiss the shell of Rey’s ear. From this angle, though, he was able to count her freckles on her skin, and the way her eyelashes rested gently on her cheeks. “I could. I will, later.” 

Rey dug her fingers into his shirt. “Promise?” 

“Promise.” He bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Do you want to go tell Finn that I’m not the super worst person in the world, and that I’m not trying to, like, rough you up or anything?” 

Rey chuckled, and shook her head. “If you say so.” She sat up, her flyaway hair in a halo around her head. “Are you going to leave?” 

“No. I’ll stick around. If you don’t mind?” 

“I would like that. Help me up?” She held out her hands to him, and Ben took them gratefully, and they pulled each other up, so they were standing face to face. Ben was struck, again, with how short Rey was compared to him. The top of her head barely came up to his chin. The perfect height for him to kiss her on the forehead. He thought about it, but swallowed down the urge to push the boundaries between them even more. 

She looked up at him, her eyes warm, and smiled a small smile, their hands still clasped. 

“Let’s go,” Ben said, and his voice was rough. Still holding onto one of her hands, he pushed the door open, and Rey followed him out into the kitchen. 

Finn was watching them both suspiciously, his arms crossed over his chest. “Rey?” 

Rey just shook her head. “He said he would help.” 

“I will. Look—let me grab a chair.” Ben let go of Rey’s hand and went around the counter, pulling a stool up to the countertop so that he could pull his laptop out. “Look, Finn—listen, let me email our boss.” 

Finn and Rey came around the countertop to watch Ben type out an email to his boss, Snoke, CC’ing Hux just to make a point. He pressed send, with a twist in his gut. That was probably his job, gone. With shaking hands, he closed his laptop. 

“What happens now?” Finn demanded. 

“What’s wrong?” Rey asked, putting her hand gently on his shoulder. “You look pale.” 

Ben shook his head. “Snoke won’t take lightly to any delay in this project. Probably, I should quit while I still can, but if I did, I wouldn’t be able to step in on your behalf. I don’t know—” He clenched his jaw, and shook his head. 

“What do you mean. You’ll be fired?” Ben couldn’t tell if Finn was frustrated or surprised. 

Ben shrugged. “Yeah. It’s alright, it’s a shitty workplace anyway.” The money would be sorely missed, but if standing up to Snoke meant that Rey would still be able to live here, then that would be worth it. 

If Rey would look at him, with her warm and gentle eyes and hold his hand, just once more, it would all be worth it. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, concern touching her eyes. “Are you sure it’s okay? I mean, I know you can’t unsend that email, but—”

“Listen, Rey, I can’t promise to save you or Sunshine. But I can promise to fight for you, and your home. And if that doesn’t work out, I will help you out in any way I can.” Ben wished that Finn wasn’t standing over his shoulder while he said this to Rey, but Finn’s presence didn’t mean that he would be saying anything other than the truth to Rey. “I feel like I got you into this mess—” 

“Isn’t this your job, though?” Finn’s interruption broke the eye contact that Ben was holding with Rey. 

“I mean, sort of.” He looked to Finn. “Most of the companies I’m sent to sit in on, to do market research on, or whatever, are locally owned, but they have a lot of staff. Starkiller coffee won’t drive them out of business because they’re specialized enough, and they have staff—their business might take a hit, but they won’t go under. Rey, and Sunshine on the other hand—”

“Any business I lose, I’ll be gone.” Rey pushed her hair back from her ears. 

“Wait, really? I thought you were doing really well—” Finn was absolutely bewildered. 

“I mean—no, not really. All of my money is in book inventory, and that’s not a super strong part of my business, it’s just something that I want to provide—I could make more money if I had more tables, and if I outsourced to get food and stuff—” Rey trailed off, biting her bottom lip. “And I only have one espresso machine, and most of the time, there’s only one staff member. I think—I think I put all my money into one idea, and the coffee is sort of just an aside.” 

Ben nodded. “I could help you. I already have some ideas about what you could do to increase profits and utilize the space better. I mean, I know you love those bookshelves, and I do too, but I could help you build some wooden bookshelves on the walls, so you could put some more tables in—”

“I couldn’t pay you.” Rey clenched her jaw and looked down at the tip of her shoe. 

“No, I know. I know.” Ben shook his head. This was a conversation he didn’t necessarily want to have with Finn watching both of them. “We can work it out later, I’m just floating some ideas. Maybe to help out in the long run.” 

“Wouldn’t that be against your contract, or whatever?” Finn said, crossing his arms over his chest. That was definitely Poe’s jacket, that he was wearing. 

Ben shrugged. “All the more reason to get fired, right?” 

*** 

Ben left Sunshine around three in the afternoon, promising to be back in two hours to pick Rey up for dinner. Her nerves still hadn’t settled, from finding out that he had been working with her competitor, but the promises he had made, that he would help her figure things out, had made her feel more comfortable. And, the way that he had held her in the storage room, her head against his chest—she shouldn’t trust him like this, but she trusted him more than anyone else she knew. Just thinking about the way he had tucked her hair behind her ear made Rey warm inside. 

Also, Ben had been right, about Sunshine needing an upgrade. They had spent most of the afternoon sketching out new ways she could lay out the inside of the shop, in order to fit more tables, while keeping the warm and cozy feeling of the store as it was. Baby sat on the counter to watch them work, sometimes rubbing his head against Ben’s arm. 

To Rey, that was just another sign that Ben was right where he should be. 

Finn left halfway through their brainstorming session, after Rey made him promise to text Poe. “Just ask him to dinner,” she said, “he’s probably so nervous, he’s bouncing off the wall, and if you just ask him to dinner to talk things over, he’ll fall at your feet.” 

Ben laughed, although he wasn’t paying attention, and Finn rolled his eye, obviously embarrassed. “Whatever,” he said, “I’ll think about it. I just don’t want to be fucking humiliated!” Rey had eventually made him pinky promise that he would text Poe, in return for details about her dinner with Ben. 

“I still don’t trust him,” Finn said, as he went out the door, his head close to Rey’s ear. Rey had pushed him out the door. 

Now, in the comfort of her apartment, Rey laid out her outfit choices on the bed, Baby looking on. “He didn’t tell me out fancy I was supposed to dress,” she told Baby. “I don’t know if he’s going to take me out to like, McDonald’s, or like, somewhere nice. Probably not McDonald’s. That’s not a good place for a date.” It had been a while since Rey had gone on a date, though. At least since high school. 

Her stomach fluttered. A knee-length black dress, boots with heels, and a leather jacket. She did her make-up and hair leaning on her counter in the cramped bathroom, Baby swatting at her face as he tried to apply mascara. “Knock it off,” she told her cat, who just mewed loudly. 

It was 5:05 when she was finished, and she fluffed her hair and pouted at her reflection. Did she look cute? Did she look like she was trying too hard? She posed again, and thought about wiping off her dark lipstick, but a knock on the door startled her as she made to grab a make-up wipe. Even Baby jumped off the counter and ran into Rey’s bedroom. 

Purse, keys. She made her way down the staircase, holding onto the wall so she wouldn’t lose her balance in her heels. What if she kissed Ben, and got dark lipstick on his face? Shit, she should have thought of that. But it was too late now, and the door was open, and he was standing in front of her, wearing—wearing a well-tailored suit and tie. 

“Oh no.” Her heart sunk into her shoes. “I don’t think I’m dressed nicely enough.” 

Ben was staring at her, his mouth slightly open, his hands paused over his button. He cleared his throat. “You definitely are. Holy shit, Rey—” He swallowed, and held out his arm for her to take it. 

She smiled, blushing, took his arm, letting him walk her the three feet across the sidewalk to his car, idling at the curb. The car wasn’t outwardly luxurious, but as Ben opened the passenger-side door for Rey, she noted the leather interior and the wood details on the side of the door. She certainly had never driven anything that fancy before. She sat down and nodded at Ben, smiling in a way that she hoped looked confident. 

Ben laughed, closing the door behind her, going around the car to sit in the driver’s seat. “You look like you’re about to be ill,” he said, closing the door behind him. His eyes were focused on her face, though, and his expression was kind. 

“I won’t, not in this car.” Reaching out a hand, she touched the wood in front of her.

“Oh, look at this.” He flipped something on the dashboard, and the seat underneath Rey began to warm slowly, as he pulled out of the parking space and drove down the street. 

“Shit, that’s warm!” Rey yelped and laughed. “It’s right on my ass.” 

“What? Oh, yeah,” Ben blushed as he reached over. “I didn’t realize how short your skirt was, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine, it felt good!” Rey smiled. “My skirt might be too short, I’m already cold.” 

Ben cleared his throat, focused on the traffic in front of him. “I think it’s a good length. It’s nice, I mean. You look nice.” 

Rey laughed, giddy with that first date feeling. She could study Ben too, without him noticing, and she took full advantage of that. His nose, the way his hair tangled around his face, the freckles that were put in a constellation across her cheek. “You look nice too,” she said, suddenly shy. “That jacket is—that jacket is nice.” 

He smiled, ducking his chin. “Thank you.” 

They pulled up in front of a very nice place in downtown Niima, and Rey’s heart clenched. “I can’t go in there, dressed like this, Ben—”

“What do you mean?” His eyebrows pulling close together. He reached out to push her hair back from her face, but stopped, and Rey was acutely aware of the electric tension between their skin. “You’ll be the most beautiful person there.” 

“What if they think I’m a prostitute?” 

“What?” Ben laughed. “They’ll think I’m the wealthiest man alive, to be able to afford a date like you.” He opened the car door as a valet approached and handed off the keys. Rey followed suit, and Ben swept up next to her, taking her arm in his, and leading her to the front door of the restaurant. Rey could hardly breath as he led her to the concierge stand. “Reservation for Solo?” he said, his voice deep and smooth. 

Rey felt like she was staring at him, agape, so she closed her mouth. She wondered if the hostess who led them to their table realized how out of her depth Rey was, and if the hostess was judging her for it. Probably not. She probably saw all sorts in here. That thought didn’t stop Rey from anxiously playing with her skirt as they sat in a booth, far away from the bustle of the main floor of the restaurant. 

“Ben,” she whispered as the hostess walked away, “You might lose your job tomorrow?” 

He shrugged and offered her a cocky smile. “I guess, don’t get used to this then.” 

Rey blushed and rolled her eyes, leaning back into the seat. “What, like you would take me out like this again?” 

“What?” Ben looked at her, confused. “Yeah, of course Rey, that’s why I asked you on a date. So I could take you on another one later. Have you ever done this before?” 

Rey shook her head mutely. 

“Oh.” Ben looked down at his hands. “I haven’t either, actually. You’re the first person—” 

“Hello, what can I get you all to drink for this evening?” 

They both jumped as the waiter approached. Ben ordered wine for the table and looked pointedly at Rey when he did so. “I didn’t bring you here just so you would drink water,” he said, smiling at her gently. 

Rey shifted in her sheet, trying not to look like a little girl. “I’m the first person who? What were you going to say?” 

Ben flushed. “You’re the first person who I have wanted to ask out on a date since college. I’ve been focused, a lot, on my job, to the point where, it’s just—I don’t know.” He reached out to the candle on the middle of the table and fiddled with the glass base. “Honestly, losing my job feels terrifying, but also I feel numb to it at this point? I know that I haven’t known you for a long time, Rey, and I know that I keep saying this, but ever since meeting you I realize that I’ve been looking at the world wrong.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“You care so much about your home and your work, and you care about your friends, and books. I don’t know.” He stopped playing with the candle and looked down at his hands again.   
“I don’t care about anything that much. But I hope, one day, you look at me like that. I hope that you care about me that much one day. And even just being around you, I’m beginning to care about more things. Like the books you chose for me—those were great!” He smiled at Rey, and his smile was absolute sunshine. “And even if I lose my job, I hope that I’ll be able to help you fight to save Sunshine. I know I can’t just invite myself into your business like that, but there’s something so lovely in the way you care about that place, you know? And I would really like to be part of that, even if I just get paid in muffins and coffee.” 

Rey slide along the booth so she was sitting right next to him, her thigh pressed against his. When she could speak again, she reached out and grabbed his hand, and even though it was twice the size of her own, she brought it up to her cheek. “That was the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.” 

Ben laughed, and she could hear that he was choked up too. “I meant it, though.” 

“I know you did. That was why I think it’s so sweet.” Rey kissed the back of his hand, and he smiled at her, melting underneath her touch. “Oh, shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to get lipstick all over you.” 

“It’s fine.” He laughed and rubbed at his skin with his thumb. “It looks pretty hot on you.” 

She preened to hear it. “Thank you. I do mean it when I say that jacket looks very nice on you.” 

He smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling up at the sides. “Oh, look, here’s what I was thinking about the bookshelves? What if you had one installation in the middle of the store that’s sort of circular, and you can sell books there—and it’s flat on top, so you can put a book display or something.” 

“That’s so clever! I would just worry that customers would try to use it as a table, some of them aren’t so smart.”

Ben laughed. The two of them pitched ideas and teased each other lightly, as the waitress came back and forth from their table, bringing wine and eventually food. She only gave Rey a momentary side-eye, when she noticed how close Rey was sitting to Ben. 

Rey didn’t drink much, and the wine went immediately to her head. It made her far more giggling than normal—she wasn’t drunk, just a little tipsy, and she noticed that the freer she was with her laughter, the more Ben smiled and teased her. She would have done anything, just to watch his face split into his carefree and open smile one more time. 

When they were done with dinner, Ben called for the check. 

“No dessert?” Rey frowned. She wasn’t upset about not getting more to eat, especially since she was sure that bill in Ben’s hand was more than what she would spend on groceries in a week. She just wanted an excuse to talk to him more. “Sorry, that came out wrong—"

“No, it’s okay.” Ben offered her a shy smile. “Would you want to have dessert at my place?” 

“Wait—so we can make out?” 

“Well, yeah, I mean—” 

“Yes please, I am one hundred percent down. No sweets necessary.” 

Ben’s smile was wide, and he reached out and grabbed her chin in his hand, sweeping his thumb over her lip. “Good,” he said, and his voice was wonderfully deep, and went straight to the pit of Rey’s stomach. He threw a cash tip on the table, and pulled Rey gently to a standing position, holding her hand tightly as they walked out of the restaurant together. 

Rey was on cloud nine, just to know that she was holding Ben’s hand in front of a room full of people. Not that she knew any of the,=m, but they all knew that she was leaving the restaurant, her hand in Ben Solo’s. As they waited for the valet, she rested her head lightly on his shoulder, and he rested his chin on the top of her head, the two of them waiting quietly. 

Rey broke the silence first. “I’m pretty excited.” 

“What? What for?” 

She laughed, and the valet brought the car around. Still looking at her, bewildered, Ben went around to the driver’s seat, and Rey climbed into the passenger seat. As Ben pulled his seatbelt on, Rey grabbed Ben’s face and pulled it towards her, giving him a kiss so deep that it made her head spin. She sat back, suddenly aware that the valet was probably watching them. 

“I’m excited for that,” she said, smiling, and rubbing at her lips with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, you have something on your lips.” 

Ben was staring at her, dumbstruck, until he realized that they were blocking someone in, and he turned to face the windshield, his eyes still wide. He put the car into gear, and moved onto the street, still looking a little stunned. 

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong? I should have asked if you’re alright with PDA—” 

“No, Rey.” Ben’s voice broke just a little. “No, that was amazing. That was—I am very excited to kiss you too, Rey, I am extremely excited.” 

*** 

The drive back to his apartment was one of the longest drives that Ben had ever taken, even though it was only two and a half miles. The entire time, Rey was watching him, and he was aware of her eyes on his face, roving over his body. It took all the willpower he had left in order to keep his hands on the wheel, and not tangled in Rey’s hair, running over her face. 

He pulled into the parking deck behind his apartment complex and was about to go around the other side to let Rey out, but she had already hopped out. “Do you have a tissue?” she asked, “I want to clean my face off a bit, and maybe yours, you got some—” she reached out to touch his face, but she was too late. 

Ben put his arms around her waist and in the middle of the parking deck, swept her up in his arms, kissed her as hard as he could. She wilted in his arms, reaching up to grab the side of his head, pulling him down to her. Ben couldn’t hear anything outside of Rey’s breath, couldn’t feel anything outside the press of her fingers and the warmth of her lips—he pulled back from her, panting slightly. “I’m sorry, what do I have on my face?” 

Rey’s eyes were wide, and she reached out, brushing her finger along his lips. “Just a bit of lipstick.” She sounded dazed, and Ben smiled wickedly. 

“Oh, do I? Is there any here--?” he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “Wait, any here?” He kissed her on the tip of her nose, then on the top of her cheek, and then on her dimpled chin. “Any here?” 

Rey laughed and squirmed, his hands still firmly pressed against her waist. “No stop,” she laughed, “You’re getting it all over!” 

“Am I? I’m sorry, I just think you have something on your face here—” he kissed her on her lips again, and she laughed against his mouth, before kissing him back. 

After a minute, she stood back and looked up at him through her lashes. “So, you do have an apartment, right? You don’t just live in this parking lot?” 

He laughed. “I promise, I don’t.” Looping his arm around her waist he brought her into his building. She looked around the lobby, awed, her head nestled against his shoulder.

“So, you do have money,” she said, and although she was trying to tease him, it sounded like she was very impressed. 

Ben bit his lip. “Yeah. Not from working. My grandfather was a real estate mogul, I inherited this place. That doesn’t make it sound better, though, does it?” He led Rey into the elevator, where he kissed her slightly on her forehead. She smiled up at him, her eyes warm, and Ben felt his jeans growing uncomfortably tight. 

He let her into the apartment, and she gaped at the size of it. His apartment was twice the size of Rey’s own, something he hadn’t realized until he noticed how impressed she was at the size of the windows. “You can see everything from here!” She said, pressing her hands against the pane glass. “Look, you can see into the other building!” 

Ben laughed and pulled her back from the window gently. “And they can see you too.” He closed the curtains and turned her to face him. “You can look out in the morning; I just don’t want anyone seeing what—”

“What you’re going to do to me?” Rey wiggled her eyebrows and laughed, even though that was exactly what Ben meant. “You’re awfully confident that I’m going to be here in the morning.” 

Ben put his hands on his shoulders and brought her close to him, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. “I forgot how early you have to get up tomorrow, I forgot tomorrow is Monday. So, if you don’t want to stay overnight, I understand. And, I understand if you don’t want me in that way. But Rey, if I could undress you and have you tonight, I would it do right now, and then I would fall asleep with you in my arms—” 

Rey stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against him again, pushing her hands underneath the collar of his jacket, running her hands over his shoulders. She broke away to look him right in the eye. “I would like that,” she said, “very much.” She took another deep breath. “And, can I say, that jacket makes your shoulders look so good—” 

Ben laughed, “Oh really, you haven’t said—” 

“I want to lick your shoulders, and your neck, and leave hickies down your chest. Please,” she added, as an afterthought. 

Ben groaned and grabbed her ass, pulling her as closed to her as she could physically go, pressing her crotch against his growing erection, so that she could feel it, feel how much he wanted her. She kissed him wildly, unbuttoning his shirt with her nimble fingers as she kissed him, and he groaned against her. 

“Jacket off,” he told her, pulling it off of her, exposing her shoulder bones and her clavicle, pulling her hair up from the back of her neck so that he was able to hold her head fully in his hand. 

“Shirt,” she answered breathlessly, tugging at his tie. With his free hand, he held her untuck his shirt from his belt, and she undid all of the button, moving her attention from his mouth to his jaw, sucking lightly at the delicate skin of his neck. 

“Not fair,” he groaned. “I want your dress off of you, Rey—” He picked her up, his hands on her ass cheeks, her legs thrown around his waist, and he carried her into his bedroom, dropping her on his comforter as she worked desperately to undo the buttons of his shirt. 

He shrugged out of his dress shirt and undid his tie, while Rey’s fingers worked at his undershirt, still tucked into his pants. She looked up at him through her eyelashes. “Why did you wear so many layers?” 

Ben laughed, reaching around to her back, so that he could unzip her dress, the back falling open under his fingertips. Her skin was so soft, her hair curled around his fingers. She pulled his shirt up, and the cool touch of her fingers against the bare skin of his stomach sent shivers up his spine. He quickly wiggled out of his shirt too, so he was standing half naked before her. 

The way she looked at him, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open, made him painfully hard. He took his hand and cupped her chin, putting his thumb on her lower lip. She took it quickly into her mouth and sucked on his finger although she were grateful, her eyes never leaving his body. 

Hesitantly, her hands went to his belt, slowly undoing his belt buckle, and pulling the leather out from around his waist. “Is this okay?” She asked sweetly, pulling back from him for just a moment. 

“Please,” he nodded, his voice rough. “Yes, sweetheart, please.” 

She smiled and covered his palm in gentle kisses as she undid the top button of his pants, letting his trousers fall down onto the ground. She could see the entire length of him through the thin layer of his trousers, and she looked back up at him, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. 

Stepping back, Ben kicked out of his pants and hopped around for a second, trying to get his socks off his feet. When he finally threw them on the floor, he turned his attention to the still fully clothed Rey on his bed. He raised his eyebrows dangerously. “Your turn,” he told her, and she laughed, holding out her arms to him. 

“Help me out?” She asked. 

Ben was more than happy to oblige. He took her dress from her shoulders and dropped it down her body, so that she was standing in a pool of her clothes, her bra and underwear lacy and delicate. Ben thought his heart might explode just looking at her. 

Delicately, he ran his hands over the smooth skin of her stomach, down her curves, the dip of her hip bones. He felt like he was falling apart just looking at her. 

“Do you like what you see?” she tried to laugh, but there was a quiver in her voice. 

“Rey,” he said, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life.” He looked at her, and she was staring back at him, her eyes wide and scared of judgement. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? With—” 

Her eyes flicked down to his underwear, then back up to his face, and she blushed. Her blush spread across her chest prettily, and Ben wanted to kiss the edges of it, kiss the top of her breads and the freckles that were scattered across her shoulders. 

“With you?” Rey put her small hands on his shoulders, linking her fingers around the back of his neck. “Is this going to be the only time we do this?” 

“Only if you want. I could look at you forever, Rey, and the moment you’ll let me, I’ll make you my girlfriend and then this bed will be as much yours as it is mine.” 

Rey smiled and pulled herself up, wrapping her legs around Ben’s middle, pressed right against his cock. “Okay,” she said, her voice a rough whisper in his ear, “let’s break it in then, right?” 

Ben growled and threw her down on the bed again, caging her in with his arms, so that she was underneath him in just her bra and panties, his mouth on hers, her fingers tangled in his hair. “Please,” she whispered to him, her voice low, “please, please Ben.” 

He kissed her again, kissed her down her neck and over the top of her chest, his chin nestled in her cleavage, his hand traveling south, rubbing her over her underwear while she squirmed underneath him, pulling at his hair and digging her heels into the small of her back. Grunting, he picked Rey up and turned around, so that he was lying on his back, her pussy pressed against his cock, his fingers frantically undoing her bra clasp.

Rey bent over as he worked, and undid the bra herself, her mouth closing on the bones of his clavicle, moving up to the soft of his neck, sucking hard enough to leave marks on his skin that would be there tomorrow when he went into work—so that everyone would know that Rey had taken him last night, that he was hers, and that she belonged to him. 

He groaned underneath her as he threw her bra aside, and she laughed, her nipples skating over the hard planes of his chest. “Off, please,” she said, pulling at his boxers, and he complied, pushing her off of him, so that he could kick off his underwear. Next to him, she did the same, throwing her lacy panties across the room. “Let’s see how fast I’ll be able to find them later?” she asked, her smile mischievous. 

Ben growled. “I promise you won’t need them.” Standing in front of her, he touched his own cock a couple of times, playing with himself, and she watched him with wide eyes, reaching down to touch herself. They watched each other until Ben couldn’t take it anymore, and he reached for a nightstand, pulling out a condom that he pulled apart with his teeth, rolling it onto his dick. He pushed Rey back down on the bed, angling himself so that his dick was pressed against her, and she was wriggling under the touch of his cock at the entrance of her cunt. 

“Is this okay, baby?” he asked, and she groaned, reaching up towards him, nodding, pulling his mouth down to hers. He entered her, and he had never felt anything sweeter and warmer than the pounding of her cunt, the feel of her hard nipples dragging across his chest as he pushed into her, her fingernails into his back, her hand tangled in his hair. He took his hand and brought it down her body so that he was touching her, and she was squirming underneath him, her moans small and glorious. 

“Fuck me,” she whispered, “please Ben, please Ben—” 

Ben couldn’t remember how many times he thrust into her, how many moments he spent inside of her, a part of her, until he was falling apart inside of her, and she was falling apart underneath him, screaming his name, and his face was pressed against her chest, tasting the sweet scent of her sweat, her hands still wrapped up in his hair. 

“Good?” he asked her, after a moment, and she laughed, loose and easy, as she pulled him up to kiss her, pulled him all the way up by his chin so that their naked bodies were tangled together on the bed spread. 

“Yes,” she said, kissing his chest. “We can do that whenever.” 

Ben laughed, unwilling to get up and clean himself off, unwilling to do anything but feel the weight of Rey in his arms, and the warm familiarity of her bare skin against his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first time writing such in-depth smut, so please forgive me. Also, I decided to add on a short epilogue, probably half the length of one of these chapters, so look forward to that coming out soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Ben knocked on the door of Rey’s apartment, loudly, and she shouted back down to him, sounds of frantic scrambling echoing down her staircase to him. Since he’d lost his job a few months ago, Ben had moved out of his high-rise apartment to a place a few streets away from Rey, settling into a homier apartment over a record shop that Ben hadn’t known existed. He hadn’t been able to prevent the Starkiller Coffee from being built down the street—as he waited for Rey, he sent the red awning and comfortably busy corporate storefront a nasty look. 

Rey tumbled down the staircase and out the door, her hair pulled into a bun above her head, a corduroy jumper falling to her knees. “Hey,” she said, breathless as she looked at him, just like she had for the past three months. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, cradling her chin in his palm, and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. She stood up on her tiptoes to be able to lean into him more easily. “Are you ready to go?” 

“Yeah.” She smiled up at him, falling back onto the flats of her feet. “Do I look okay?” 

“You look perfect.” He tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear, and she beamed up at him, her smile still bright enough to knock him off her feet. “May I escort you to my car, m’lady?” 

She giggled, and let him take her hand, bringing her to the front seat of his car, before walking around to his side of the car, and letting himself inside. He drove slowly down the street, avoiding the overflow of pedestrian traffic that Starkiller Coffee caused. “You probably should have been open today,” he said, regretfully. 

“Why?” She shrugged. “I’ll be open tomorrow.” 

“I know. But I feel bad if I’m taking you away from the shop when it needs you—”

“Ben.” She put her hand on his shoulder, and he smiled at her, reflexively. “I can take a break. You’ve been working miracles, I can take a day off and go and hang out with your mom, it’s not going to kill Sunshine, and it’s not going to kill me.” 

Ben grumbled, but turned out of the street, winding his way through Niima to an art museum just outside of the city limits. Rey had hired her second employee roughly two and a half months ago—and Ben had been more than happy to accept her offer, even though it had come with a serious decrease in pay. Working at Niima, though, and helping Rey’s business grow was far more rewarding than what he had been doing before. 

The two of them had been working to improve the number of food items Rey could sell in the store by contracting out to a local bakery, and Ben was slowly getting the hang of how to make coffee himself, so he could help Rey and Rose on the production line. And with Ben helping out on the food sale side, Rey was able to put more time and effort into the bookstore, which was her true passion. 

And, if he stayed too long at Sunshine, Rey was more than happy to let him sleep in her bed. 

Rey fiddled nervously in her seat as he pulled into the museum parking lot, rubbing her hands together. 

“Why are you nervous? You’ve met her at least three times before—” 

“I know! But what if this is the time I fuck it all up, you know?” She rubbed her face with her hand. “What if she decided that I’m too plain for her darling son—” 

Ben reached around her, and pulled her head against his lips, to kiss her gently. “I told her to fuck off once, I can do it again.” 

“Ben! That’s not even funny, don’t joke about that.”

“It’s okay, I promise. And if it isn’t okay, I’ll make sure it is.” He rubbed her back as she took a steadying breath, and got out of the car. As they walked side-by-side across the parking lot, to where Leia was standing, he slipped his hand around Rey’s, lightness spreading throughout his body just by her touch. 

Leia, contrary to Rey’s fear, was delighted to see both of them. Privately, Ben thought that she was more excited to see Rey—Leia embraced Rey as though she were her long lost daughter, tucking Rey’s head against her shoulder and stroking her hair softly before letting her go. “I’m so glad you were able to make it out here, dear, and Benjamin, look at you, you look so healthy and strong—” 

“Hi Mom, thank you,” He bent down and gave his short mother a hug. “How’s the installation going so far?” 

“It’s going so well, this artist is amazing! She drew in such a crowd, come in dears, come in—” Leia ushered them into the museum building, then past the front desk and into the private installation room. Kaydel, the artist Leia was representing, was working mostly in florescent and neon installations, and the dark room was full of colorful exclamations of light. It looked like the room had been turned into a nightclub, but the crowd here was noticeably subdued and respectful, not drunk and dancing. 

“Wow!” Rey said, still holding Ben’s hand, the colors striping across her face. “It’s beautiful!” 

“I’m glad you think so, dear,” Leia said, leaning close to her. “Take a turn around and tell me what you think. I need to go make sure Kaydel isn’t overwhelmed.” As she left the couple alone, she reached out and touched Ben’s cheek, as though she were still reassuring herself that he was real. 

Left alone, Ben tucked Rey underneath his arm, and the two of them took a slow turn around the room, taking in the colors and the designs that had been seemingly formed out of pure light. 

“I know I say this every time,” Rey whispered, “I don’t really know how to think about art.” 

“Neither do I,” Ben whispered into her hair. “I just know that Mom likes it when I pretend I know what she’s talking about.” 

Rey giggled. “It’s not like it’s bad—it’s beautiful! But I just—”

“I mean, I don’t know about you, but I could look at a lava lamp and get the same emotional reaction—” 

Rey hit him in the arm but stifled her laugh against her other fist. “We have to be nice!” She hissed. 

“What are you talking about?” Ben guided her around the next corner, maneuvering her around a clump of older adults drinking wine and nibbling on cheese, “I’m the nicest person you know.” 

Even after making a full circle around the room, Leia was still engaged in a hushed conversation with a very overwrought looking Kaydel, and Rey was hesitant to interrupt them. 

“She’s my mom, though,” Ben pointed out. 

“I know, but she looks like she’s super stressed out. The artist, I mean—” Ben twisted his face, and Rey shook her head, as though she already knew what he was going to say. She was able to read Ben’s mind so easily, that it felt like she’d been doing it their entire life. “She wasn’t able to hear what you said, and besides, you didn’t like, call her a bitch.” 

Ben shook his head and maneuvered Rey out of the darkened exhibit room. “God, the light hurts my eyes,” he said, rubbing his face with his palms. “Also, the bar for standards you have for me is absolutely on the ground. I hope I wouldn’t call someone a bitch just because—”

“I didn’t say that you would! I just meant that being an artist must be stressful, you probably weren’t the one who made her cry.” 

Ben rolled his eyes. “Come on, there’s something here I want to show you.” He led Rey down a staircase and out through the back door of the museum, where a park full of rolling hills spread out before them. A gravel pathway, punctuated with sculptures and flower bushes, wound through the park. 

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Rey said, and she smiled up at him, her face transformed. 

Ben hummed an agreement, pretending to tip his hat to her. “Would you do me the pleasure of a walk, m’lady?” 

Rey laughed and looped her arm around his. “You seriously have to stop calling me that, or else I’m going to fucking break up with you.” 

“I’ve done a lot worse, and you haven’t gotten rid of me yet,” Ben said, wiggling his eyebrows, leading her down the pathway, her footsteps lightly crunching next to his on the gravel. Ben couldn’t even remember being this happy in his life, with Rey at his arm, and the light spring breeze ruffling his hair, the clear blue sky almost painful to look at. Everything in his life was full of sunshine now, and it was all because of Rey.

She smiled up at him, her eyes crinkling to look at him. “What are you thinking?” she asked. 

He shook his head. “It’s a secret.” 

“No really, Ben.” She hip-bumped him, only slightly, but just enough to make him stumble. “Is there something wrong?” 

“Of course not, sweetheart.” He hip-bumped her back, a little harder, and grabbed onto her arm to keep her from falling to the ground. “There’s just something I want you to see, it’s a little further on.”

“Have you been here before?”

“Oh, yeah. Just once or twice.” Ben swallowed, hard, thinking about the time he’d spent here in his childhood. “Some of my best memories took place here, actually. The like, two times my dad came to visit, my mom took us out here.” 

“I thought you didn’t like your dad?” Rey looked up at him cautiously. 

Ben shrugged. “I don’t like him as an adult, but as a kid, I idolized him. He taught me how to fly a kite over there—” he said, pointing out at a hill over on their left. “Which was one of the only solid memories I have of him doing parenting shit, you know? And then up here—“ he pointed to where they were headed, “me, him, and my mom had a pretty fantastic picnic for my tenth birthday.” 

Rey wiggled next to him, cuddling just a little bit closer to him. “Those sound like amazing memories.” 

“They were.” Ben smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head again. 

“What is that, though?” She meant the structure that was in front of them, a low-lying knot of what looked to be a jumble of left-over tree trimmings. 

“Just the bet sculpture ever,” Ben flashed her a childish grin, and pull her along by her hand, so that they were almost running to the tangled structure of roots and branches that the artist had wound together to create a small hut. Ever part of the tree was still alive and growing, leaves budding out of new growth, creating a pale green haze over the structure. “Isn’t it amazing?” 

Rey’s mouth fell open. “It’s like a fairy house! Can I—can we—?” 

“Go inside? Yeah, of course, you first.” Ben gestured at the small doorway. “It’ll probably take me a minute.”

Rey laughed and crawled through the door on her hands and knees, allowing Ben a full view of her very lovely ass, and he followed alongside her, the knees of his pants muddied beyond repair as he pulled himself into the room next to Rey. His legs were forced to stick out of the structure, as he lay on his side against Rey.

“This is so cool!” she cheered, “I can’t believe that you were actually able to have a picnic inside here.” 

“Honestly, me neither, I don’t know how my dad would’ve fit.”

“I’ve seen pictures,” Rey said, affectionately rubbing one of his shoulders awkwardly. “You’re a lot bigger than he was.” 

“Rey—” Ben shifted uncomfortably on the ground. “Fuck.” 

“What? I’m sorry if bringing up your dad was a bad thing—” 

“No, no, it wasn’t.” With his free hand, Ben rubbed his forehead. “No, I’m just trying to say that the happiest moments of my life took place here at this museum, in this park, and so I was hoping that it would be a little more, I don’t know, or at least, a little less shitty—” 

“What do you mean?” 

Ben groaned and let himself fall back into the mud, Rey’s curious and worried eyes still following him. “Rey Himel, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met in my entire life, and you deserve the entire world. I love you so, so much, and I know that I’ve never said that to you before, but honestly, I wanted it to be a memorable moment that we could like, tell our kids and shit—” He flushed red and opened his eyes, looking up at her. 

She was watching him seriously, the spring sunlight leaking in through the slats in the overgrown tree structure, her hands wrapped around her knees. Even with a bit of dirt smeared up her cheek, she was the most beautiful woman Ben had ever seen in his life, and he knew it didn’t matter how much he fucked up his confession of love to her, she would love him just the same. But still—she deserved more than him lying on the floor of a hut. He opened his mouth to take it all back, but she cut him off. 

“Is that what you wanted to say?” 

“Yes.” His voice was soft. “I meant it to be more romantic than that.” 

Her laugh was warm and bright. “You’re ridiculous, Benjamin Solo, and I hope you know that.” 

“How—” 

She moved so that she was straddling him, her ass against his pelvis, her knees in the mud, her face hovering above his own. Ben gasped slightly, and reached out, grabbing her thigh underneath the hem of her skirt. His arousal was sudden, and fueled only by the intensity in Rey’s eyes. 

“You are so ridiculous, Ben.” She bent down and kissed him lightly, leaving him gasping for her as she pulled away. “I’ve known you’ve loved me since you quit your fucking job for me. You ass,” she said again, bending down to kiss him again, and he laughed into her mouth, his dirty fingers pressing against her ass. 

“And I’ve loved you for nearly that long,” Rey said, as she pulled away. “I love you, and I am in love with you.” 

Ben laughed, and his heart unclenched. He was light again, and Rey loved him, and was in love with him. “Good,” he said, stroking her butt because he couldn’t reach her forehead in the position they were sitting. “Because I’m in love with you too.” 

Rey rolled her eyes affectionately and pushed his hair back from his forehead. biting her lip, she looked down at him. “I’ve actually been wanting to ask you about this for a minute—do you think that you would move in with me? I mean, you just spend a lot of time at mine already, and you’re always forgetting your toothbrush, and I think it would just be a good idea if you brought the one you owned and left it—”

Ben growled and pulled her down into a kiss that melted his bones, that melted Rey against him. He ground against her, and she laughed against his mouth, her hands curled onto his chest. She pushed up, so that she was looking at him again. “Asking you to be domestic gets you horny?” 

“Fuck, Rey, you know it.” He pulled her down into another kiss, and Rey tumbled off of him, landing in the mud, dirt splattering up his cheek. Ben’s fingers crept underneath her skirt, and underneath the strap of her jumper. 

She laughed, pulling away from him. “Is that a. yes, though?” 

“Yes, yes please. Please let me move in with you, please let me wake up next to you every morning, Rey, please let me kiss you goodnight every night, let me fuck you over your kitchen counter—” 

Rey laughed and kissed him back, her hands tangling behind his neck, throwing her leg over his hip so that he could grind into her, his mouth hot against hers. He kissed her face, then down her neck, across her chest. There was nothing else he wanted but Rey, and the memory they made in the warmth of the small tree-sculpture was one of the best memories he had ever made.

And if Leia laughed to see the two of them traipsing back up to the museum, disheveled, covered mud, and staring at each other like they couldn’t get enough of each other, she was kind enough to hide it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to imagine that Ben takes her back to the same place in four years to ask her to marry him. 
> 
> Follow me on instagram @daisyspacedraws if you're interested in Star Wars art and stuff! And if you have anything else you'd like to read, let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone! I hope that this was a good start to the fic, I'm going to try to finish it by next week :) follow me on instagram @daisyspacedraws for Star Wars art, and some fan art of my own fic that I drew while writing this. I hope everyone is doing well! 
> 
> Books mentioned in the story: 
> 
> IQ84-Haruki Murakami  
> Emma--Jane Austen  
> The Three-Body Problem--Liu Cixin  
> The Ashes of Worlds--Kevin J. Anderson  
> Red Mars--Kim Stanley Robinson


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